


He Who Hesitates...

by VulpesVulpes713



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Because the world needs more food truck au, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Coran is allura's uncle, Cuddling, F/M, Hunk and Shay, Keith and Lance first date, Keith and Pidge friendship, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Modern AU, Modern Day, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Shunk, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), Steven Universe - Freeform, Voltron, and this fic is based entirely on that, because that teaser was the best, but not space, food truck au, from that one Steven Universe post, go figure, hand holding, klance, klance fluff, matt holt is alive and well, music fesitval, music festival date, shallura - Freeform, steven universe food truck klance comic, thank you for this, vld, voltron food truck, voltron legendary defenders - Freeform, with the comic, writing promt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-10-25 16:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 26,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10768422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVulpes713/pseuds/VulpesVulpes713
Summary: “I should let you get back to them,” he sighed, “you guys are missing the festival.” Keith turned back to him quickly, a look of disappointment briefly flashing across his face. He nodded though, staring at the coffee still sitting between them.“I guess,” his voice was low, and Lance detected a hint of hesitation in it. Too cute.“But you know,” he went on, and Keith glanced up hopefully. “I’m here all day. And tomorrow. And, in case you forgot,” he dropped his voice so Keith had to lean forward to hear the rest, “the food trucks all close down at around eight, so...” he trailed off, hoping the boy would get the hint.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on that one photo circulating with Keith and Lance in the Steven Universe world (Klance reference lol thanks guys i'm thriving) at the food truck.
> 
> Yes, this is a food truck au.
> 
> Enjoy :)
> 
> My [tumblr](http://vulpes--vulpes.tumblr.com/)

Keith wasn’t one for crowds.

 

They were loud, pushy, and had no concept of personal space, and it was on more than one occasion that he found himself glaring down several people who fell into those categories.

 

It had been better that morning, when only the early risers and keeners were out and about, sporting whatever festival merchandise they had somehow already managed to secure. T-shirts with band names in large print, flags and scarves with music quotes, and the ever abundant ball caps that were handed out willy-nilly by festival volunteers. Keith had one of the latter, but the gaudy bright colours were not really his style.

 

Unfortunately the others had outvoted him for their group photo, which had been posted to both Shiro’s, Matt’s, and Allura’s Instagrams. Pidge had more or less been on the same page as Keith, blatantly opposing the fluorescent pink and blue head gear with ‘Altean Summers Fest’ written on the front, but, being the younger members, had no say in the matter.

 

Keith remembered the exchange from that morning.

 

“C’mon Keith do it for your big brother!” Shiro was terrible at puppy eyes, but Allura was not, and the two of the coupled together and batting their eyelashes at him had been hard to ignore. He had tried nonetheless.

 

“They’re embarrassing. Can’t we take a photo without them on?”

 

“Can we just not take a photo at all?” Pidge piped up, glaring at her own sibling as he shoved the hat further down on her head. “Ugh Matt stop!”

 

“Nope, sorry sis, mom wants pics, and as the responsible older brother that I am,” Pidge snorted at that, “I have to supply.”

 

“But why with the hats? Let’s just take a picture by the entrance and leave it at that,” Keith proposed again, and Allura spoke up.

 

“The hats are a traditional article of clothing worn at all times during the festival. It is customary. I should know, since my uncle helps manage everything.” She leaned down and poked Pidge on the nose. “And this is your first time here, so you have to follow the rules.”

 

Keith watched her closely. Shiro had been dating Allura for a few months now, and Keith liked her well enough, but there were times when he wasn’t completely sure if she was joking or not, like now.

His thoughts must have been betrayed by his face, as Shiro and Matt began chuckling behind Allura.

 

Pidge rolled her eyes.

 

“Yeah, ok ‘tradition’,” she made air quotes with her fingers to emphasize the word. Right, so Allura had been joking. Keith ignored Shiro’s teasing wink.

 

“How about this,” he said, grabbing Pidge and Keith by their shoulders and turning them towards the entrance. “I’ll get you both something from one of the food carts once we’re inside. Anything you want. Okay?”

 

Pidge nodded eagerly, and Keith sighed after a moment of pondering.

 

“Fine,” he mumbled. Free food was worth the humiliation.

 

And it had been. Sure the photo had turned out as awful and humiliating and terrible as Keith had imagined, but at least they were all smiling, and he had managed to hide the ugly hat once everything was said and done.

 

It was still early, and the smells of cooking breakfast foods wafted through the air, guiding them to a light red and blue coloured truck with fries painted on the side. Keith had been hesitant at first, not entirely keen on having that form of potato for breakfast, until he spotted the menu.

 

It was huge! Much larger than the trucks around it, and had an array of food items that not only sounded, but smelled delicious. Pidge had agreed, and they stopped there.

 

Matt went first, ordering a coffee and a large waffle for himself as Pidge and Keith analyzed the menu from a few feet away.

 

“I didn’t know they had so much selection at these sorts of things!” Pidge said excitedly, and Keith could only agree. He had been prepared to live off hamburgers and chips for the next three days, but knowing that crepes, waffles, eggs and bacon, salads and sandwiches of all sorts, and a huge variety of foods he had never even heard of were available for purchase only added to the festival hype.

This was going to be a good weekend.

 

And then he spotted the guy behind the counter; good suddenly felt like an understatement.

 

He was gorgeous. Way too hot to be working at a food truck, hidden within its’ dark confines. His skin was a dark, even brown, and his hair short and shaggy, but in a controlled sort of way, like he purposely styled it to look untouched.

 

Keith couldn’t see much beyond that, his torso the only thing visible as he leaned over the counter to hand Matt his food, but it was enough. Keith was entirely overwhelmed.

 

The strangers eyes passed over Keith momentarily as he turned to relay Shiro and Allura’s order to whoever was in the back, and Keith felt his stomach drop.

 

They were the most glorious shade of blue Keith had ever seen, and he cowered behind Pidge as the eyes locked on him for a moment, suddenly shy and not wanting to get caught staring. Her short stature didn’t provide much in terms of cover, but it was better than nothing.

 

“What are you-” she started, looking from him to the people around them. Luckily she didn’t clue in, and turned to stare up at Keith.

 

He straightened, pretending to gaze at something in the distance, not daring to return his attention to the man behind the counter.

 

“Oh, nothing. I just thought I saw someone from school.” Pidge nodded thoughtfully, knowing that Keith had dropped out a little while ago. He exhaled, relieved beyond measure when she returned her attention to the menu. The last thing he needed was for Pidge to try and hook him up with someone.

 

She was always on his case about not following through with things involving crushes, and had begun quoting ‘he who hesitates is lost’ whenever he made up an excuse to not talk to people he found attractive. It was ironic really, seeing as Keith was probably the most impulsive person in their group, but the others agreed that he lacked somewhat in the dating department.   

 

Not that it was any of their business, but the saying had stuck, and he preferred to avoid any situation that would cause them to utter the phrase. Flirting wasn’t a strong suit of his, and most people weren’t naturally drawn to him anyways, so he preferred to admire from afar.

 

Which is what he planned on doing now. Besides, he shouldn’t get his hopes up over the brief eye contact, no matter what feelings they stirred up within him. He had no idea if this guy was even into dudes, and wouldn’t that be a spectacular waste of time.

 

“Have you decided?” Shiro’s voice broke through Keith’s thoughts, but he managed to pass his startled jump off as a trip by bumping into Pidge, who shoved him back with a gruff “Hey, watch it!”

 

“Um, yeah,” he said, turning back to the menu to hide his face. “I’ll have the number seven with a medium coffee.” Shiro crossed his arms.

 

“I said I would pay for it, not order it for you. Go tell the guy up there what you want.”

 

Keith’s eyes widened, not wanting that form of social interaction at all, but Pidge came to his rescue.

 

“Um, actually I think your words were ‘I’ll get you both something’ not ‘I’ll pay but you order’.” She smirked, and Keith grinned openly. Classic Pidge and her loopholes. She could talk her way out of a murder, though Keith hoped he never had to witness that.

 

Shiro quirked an eyebrow as he looked down at the girl.

 

“Oh, are we royalty now? And what does her highness want?”

 

“Highness?” Allura appeared at his side suddenly, placing a delicate hand on her hip. “I thought I was your only highness!” she teased, and Shiro grabbed at her hand, bringing it to his lips for a quick peck.

 

“You are Princess,” he murmured, and both Keith and Pidge groaned. Allura giggled, and kissed his cheek in reply. Shiro turned back to them in defeat, his cheeks a light pink.

 

“Fine, alright. What do you want then, since apparently I’ve indoctrinated myself into being your slave through the twisting of words.”

 

Pidge smirked proudly. “I want whatever Matt got,” she said, pointing over to where her brother was devouring a waffle at a nearby picnic table. “That looks delicious. And a small hot chocolate.”

 

Shiro bowed dramatically before turning to Keith.

 

“And for you sir?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, “I already told you. Number seven and a medium coffee.”

 

“You don’t drink coffee,” Shiro retorted.

 

“I do when someone decides to wake me up at six in the morning because he heard a bird chirping and wanted to take a picture of it to impress his girlfriend.” Shiro paled at that, and Allura laughed heartily.

 

“Aweh Shiro that’s so cute!” She kissed his cheek again and he blushed. Keith grimaced. These two were way too lovey-dovey. “Can I see?” she continued, but Shiro shook his head.

 

“We didn’t find it. Someone kept tripping over roots and cursing like a sailor. It was horrendous. I’ve never heard so many atrocities in one sentence.” It was Keith’s turn to go red.

 

“Hey at least I went with you! You were scared to go by yourself because of bears and ‘strange old men’ that could ‘sell you on craigslist for three dollars’.” Pidge guffawed loudly, and even Allura cracked a smile as Shiro’s face contorted into a grouchy frown.

 

“Ok, wow. Rude. That was told to you in confidence,” Shiro pouted, and even Keith couldn’t hold back his grin. “Do you want your coffee black, like your heart?”

 

Keith smirked; “two cream, three sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.”

 

“What the heck, that’s not even an option!”

 

“It is if you ask nicely,” he shooed Shiro away with both hands, and Pidge joined him. Shiro rolled his eyes and took Allura by the arm gently, returning to the counter to place their order.

 

Keith watched them go, noticing for the first time that the handsome stranger behind the counter had been observing them intently the whole time. He wore a small smile as he locked eyes with Keith once again, but glanced away in order to take Shiro’s order.

 

Keith was almost jealous of his brother being able to converse with the man, but he didn’t have the nerve to go up and start a conversation, much less place a food order. Besides, if he had been listening to their previous exchange he would have heard about Keith falling in the woods, and that was much too embarrassing to risk coming up.

 

So instead he followed Pidge to the table Matt was sitting at, and waited for Shiro to return with their food. The wait wasn’t long, seeing as barely anyone else was around, and it was the most delicious breakfast Keith had ever had. His coffee, which Shiro had gifted to him with a mock bow, was the perfect temperature and sweetness, complete with cinnamon and all, but it wasn’t the caffeine that got his heart racing as he finished it.

 

He had been about to throw away the cup when he noticed the black sharpie markings near the bottom, where the fine print was located. The usual warning of ‘caution, the contents in this cup you are about to drink can be extremely hot, please handle with care’ had been modified to read ‘caution, you are extremely hot’. Keith blinked a few times as he read it over. Had that guy done this? It was adorable, and made his cheeks warm, until he realized that he hadn’t been the one to order the drink.

 

Shiro and Allura had been the ones at the counter, so the server probably thought it was for them. Hell, anyone would write that if two people like Shiro and Allura approached them ordering strange drinks and a bunch of food.

 

Sure, he could pretend the message had been for him, but what was the point? What did he hope to gain from it? A date? A burning hot romance that lasted the three days of the festival, filled with passionate make-outs and steamy tent sessions?

 

Keith shook his head of the visuals with a sigh. No, those things were improbable; day dreams of a hopeless romantic too socially anxious to act on his feelings.

 

_He who hesitates is lost..._

 

Oh well, the coffee had been good, and it did nothing to dwell on what ifs. There was an entire festival to explore with his friends. And who knows, maybe he would run into the guy again, and actually have the nerve to say something.

Maybe.

 

Keith tossed the cup in the recycling bin and ran to join the others.

 

***

 

“Hunk, I know what I said before, but you were right. This was a great idea.”

 

The man working the stove paused what he was doing, glancing back to the lanky server leaning against the counter of his food truck.

 

“Hold on, what was that?”

 

Lance shrugged nonchalantly.

 

“You heard me,” he said with a grin.

 

Hunk folded his arms in front of him and regarded his friend.

 

“Actually the fan back here is pretty loud. If I could just get you to repeat that, maybe into my phone so I have a recording for later...” he trailed off as Lance smacked him with the towel he had been using to wipe down the counter.

 

“Nuh uh chef. One time thing. Cherish it forever.”

 

“I’ll write it on my grave,” Hunk replied, rolling his eyes and returning to the scrambled eggs he had been preparing.

 

“No, but seriously,” Lance continued, “this is actually pretty fun. Who knew cooking at a festival could be so awesome?”

 

Hunk chuckled.

 

“I knew, and I told you.” He turned back towards his friend, placing the eggs on a plate next to a couple strips of bacon and two slices of toast. He handed it to Lance to give to the customer. “In fact, I distinctly remember telling you that exact thing. I recall you putting up a huge fuss about it being ‘too warm’ and ‘too boring’ and having ‘an upsetting lack of babes’.”

 

“That hardly sounds like me,” Lance scoffed, thanking the customer as they left and gazing out at the festival grounds. He wasn’t searching for anything in particular, but found himself disappointed when nothing caught his attention.

 

Nothing and no one.

 

Hunk was watching him intently as he turned back, a knowing look on his face.

 

“So what made you change your mind? The air conditioning? The constant flow of music and interesting people?” he grinned mischievously at Lance. “Or maybe the surprising abundance of babes?”

 

Lance felt his face redden.

Sure, Hunk had been right on all those points, but admitting them out loud was not something Lance wanted to do. Still, he knew Hunk had seen him scratch out the words on that coffee cup after the two strangers placed their order, and had been watching him watch them with a slight smile on his face.

 

Hunk was no fool.

 

“Did he notice?” he asked, and Lance knew to what and who he was referring to. He had elbowed Hunk in the side when the group had approached their food truck, excited to have more customers, but it wasn’t until he spotted the boy with longer black hair and unorthodox red coat that his heart had really begun to race. No one had any right being that pretty.

 

Lance shrugged, rearranging the condiments on the corner of the counter to keep his hands busy.

 

“I don’t think so.” He had been too busy to watch them eat, in a totally non creepy way, but had turned just in time to see the boy throw his drink into the recycling bin near their truck, his heart falling as quickly as the cup.

 

“Maybe you had the wrong one?” Hunk offered, and Lance put his hands on his hips in defiance.

 

“Ok, first of all, I’m a professional barista, so even the thought of that offends me,” he proclaimed loudly, and Hunk rolled his eyes. His best friend had a flare for the dramatic. “Second of all,” Lance continued, “two cream, three sugar and a dash of cinnamon is the strangest request I’ve ever had for a plain coffee. I think I would know which cup to write on.”

 

“You mean vandalize.”

 

“It’s not vandalism if it’s complimenting someone,” Lance retorted. “In fact, they call it Canadian graffiti.”

 

“Do they now,” Hunk mused, tidying up the kitchen before the noon hour rush. The festival would bring in a lot of customers, especially since the main focus was music.

 

Music equated to dancing, which lead to hunger, which lead to food. And Hunk’s truck had just that.

Well, not his truck per say...it belonged to his parents, who ran a restaurant back home. The food truck was a way to get their recipes and ideas out on the streets, and it had been Hunk’s idea to sign-up as one of the vendors for the Altean Summers Fest.

 

Not only would his family's business grow, but Hunk would get to enjoy a weekend of cooking with good music and tons of different foods to try. Convincing Lance to help him out had been a bit of a struggle, until he mentioned that they got free access to the festival, and that working the counter would allow him to talk with and meet a variety of different folks.

 

People were always more talkative when they were hungry, and Lance loved to chat.

 

“Do you doubt me Hunk? Buddy? My bestest friend in the entire world?” Lance placed a hand to his chest, over his heart, still going on about the cup incident. “Would I lie to you?!”

 

Hunk chuckled at his friend’s antics.

 

“I believe you, chill. You’ll just have to make it more obvious next time.”

 

Lance pouted, leaning against the counter again and staring up at the ceiling.

 

“I was hoping he would come up to the counter. Not that those other two weren’t hot, but I saw them kiss so they’re both off the table.”

 

Hunk groaned.

 

“You watched them kiss? That’s creepy dude, even for you.”

 

Lance’s mouth fell open in a gasp.

 

“Creepy!? Well now I’m just offended. You cut me deep Hunk. You cut me deep.”

 

“Dude, you were eaves dropping on their conversation earlier in hopes of catching his name. That’s a little bit creepy if you ask me.”

 

“I’m wounded! My own best friend! My one true love-”

 

Someone cleared their throat at the window, and Lance whirled, having momentarily forgotten his role as server.

 

“What can I get for-” he started, then cut off as he realized who it was. “Oh, what’s up Coran?”

 

“The sky I imagine,” the older man replied, and Hunk bit back a grin. To anyone else it would come across as sarcasm, but Hunk and Lance knew Coran well enough to know that he was genuinely answering the question. Some of the things he would say were so preposterous that Hunk had begun writing them down. “Why do you ask?”

 

Lance shook his head, grinning.

 

“No reason,” he replied. “Need anything?”

 

“Nothing really, just wanted to know how things were. The festival is beginning to fill up, and I felt I should warn you of the noon hour rush.”

 

Hunk moved to stand at the counter with Lance, to better converse with the man. Coran was one of the people responsible for the Altean Summers Fest, and had been the one to recommend Hunk’s food truck to the board. It was surprising to actually see him out and about however, seeing as there were a million responsibilities when it came to running a music festival, especially on the first day.

 

“Everything is great so far, and don’t worry,” Hunk said as he leaned back proudly, “this isn’t my first rodeo.”

 

Coran looked mildly confused.

 

“That may be true lad, but this is a music festival. Much different crowd.” Lance stifled a laugh as Hunk’s face fell, the expression completely going over Coran’s head.

 

“Um...right,” Hunk managed, elbowing Lance in the side. He knew he wouldn’t hear the end of this for a while.

 

“Well anyways,” Coran went on, oblivious, “just be timely and efficient, whilst not sacrificing quality. Though, that shouldn’t be a problem for you. I’ve heard only good things so far.” He winked, and Hunk flushed with pride. “Also, if you see my niece would you let me know? I wanted to see her before things got too wild.”

 

Lance straightened at that, leaning on the counter to stare down at Coran.

 

“Niece? What’s her name? Age? Star sign?”

 

Coran eyed him incredulously.

 

“Her name is Allura, and she’s already in a loving relationship.” Hunk chuckled as Lance crossed his arms melodramatically.

 

“Coran, I was merely asking for curiosities sake! No need to assume!”

 

“Besides,” Hunk chimed in, “Lance already has his eyes on someone here, so no need to worry.”

 

Coran nodded, before waving goodbye and joining the growing crowd.

 

“Uncool Hunk!” Lance exclaimed once Coran was out of ear shot, and smacked his friend with the towel again. Hunk giggled.

 

“What! You do!”

 

“Not really,” Lance sighed, smile fading from his face as he stared out at the throng of people. “He probably didn’t even notice me.”

 

“Well, we’ll just have to go find him once the truck closes for the night.” Lance perked up at that, and Hunk flashed him a large grin. “Besides, we forgot to ask Coran what Allura looks like, so I’ll have to track him down later.”

 

“I doubt she’ll be hard to find. Just look for girl with bright orange hair and bushy mustache.”

 

“Lance! Rude!” Hunk gave him a disapproving look, but chuckled despite himself. Coran did have an impressive amount of facial hair. “Oh hey, big group of teens coming this way, time to form up.”

 

Lance winked at him, throwing the towel over his shoulder and stretching his arms theatrically.

 

“Don’t worry,” he teased, “this isn’t my first rodeo.”

 

Hunk groaned loudly as Lance laughed at his own joke. This was going to be a long three days.

 

***

 

The line was longer this time, but that was to be expected as more people flooded into the field where the festival was being held.

 

Keith wasn’t even sure why he was in it, seeing as his hunger wasn’t too intense, and Shiro had packed water bottles for them all to ward against the sun’s heat. Keith had taunted him at first, saying that they already had a dad, but as the day warmed, he found himself more than grateful to have the extra fluid on hand. 

 

So no, he didn’t really need anything from the red and blue food truck from that morning, but he wanted something. Or, at least, he thought he did. The idea of the stranger behind the counter had been on his mind all day, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the festival fully until he faced his fear and spoke with him. Sure it was dumb, and stupid, and way too high school chick flick movie for his tastes, but Keith was tired of hesitating.

Besides, this weekend was about fun, and trying new things, and the food here was good anyways, so why not?

 

He glanced around at the people in the surrounding area. A good majority of them were sporting the tacky Altean Summer Fest hats, complete with brightly coloured clothing and fake tattoos of feathers and arrows. Keith had jokingly asked Pidge where hers were and received a solid punch in the arm in reply. He was still rubbing at it when she spoke.

 

“Matt just texted me. It says ‘code pink’,” she started chuckling as she typed a reply and Keith turned his attention away from the food truck that stood a little ways ahead. The crowd was too thick to see anyone at the counter anyways.

 

“What’s code pink?”

 

Pidge didn’t look up from her phone.

 

“It basically means Shiro and Allura are being over the top love birds and it’s cute but mildly uncomfortable. I asked him to send a picture.”

 

“Wait, you guys have codes for them?”

 

Pidge nodded enthusiastically.

 

“We have codes for everything. You want in? I can send you the master list.”

 

“Yeah I want in! You know how often I have to listen to Shiro go on and on about Allura? I could tell you what sort of conditioner she uses if you want, or where she buys her favourite protein powder.” Pidge grimaced in reply, and Keith nodded sagely. “Exactly.”

 

His phone buzzed a moment later, and he opened up the text from Pidge.

 

“Hey, what the heck? This has my name at the top!”

 

Pidge’s eyes widened as she reopened her phone to check the message she had just sent.

 

“Oh crap, uh...I meant to send you theirs but got confused and pressed ‘Keith’s’ instead. Here,” she made to grab for his phone, but he held it up and out of her reach.

 

“You have codes for me?! I thought we were friends!” Keith read a few of the bullet points off his phone and groaned. “Code red? Really? ‘Cute guy alert, Keith too shy to act’?”

 

Pidge tried jumping to reach his cell but didn’t get very far. She gave up with a guilty shrug.

 

“We use that one a lot.”

 

“Wow, okay rude!” Keith scanned the list briefly, before groaning again and tucking his phone back in his pocket. “Does Shiro know about this?” 

The expression on Pidge’s face was enough of a response.

 

“Oh, super. Just dandy.”

 

“Do you still want theirs?” she asked tentatively, and Keith huffed.

 

“Yes,” he mumbled grumpily after a moment, ignoring the sly smile that crept onto his friends’ face. If Shiro was sending Pidge and Matt secret messages about him then of course Keith wanted payback. That was only fair.

He didn’t bother checking his phone as it buzzed the second time.

 

“Actually,” Pidge went on, “speaking of which, Matt just texted me code black.”

 

“Let me guess...kissing in public? Holding hands?”

 

Pidge shook her head in remorse. “Pet names.”

 

Keith cringed. Allura and Shiro were adorable together, don’t get that wrong, but the pet names they used were atrocious. He felt an immense amount of pity for Matt, who had elected to stay with the two and secure decent seats for the next round of performers while Keith and Pidge went to find more food. It was around three in the afternoon, so their request had seemed reasonable.

 

There was no way Keith was going to admit that his apparent hunger wasn’t for food. He just couldn’t get those blue eyes out of his head.

 

“Where are we anyways,” Pidge stood on her tip toes to try and get a better vantage point, but it did absolutely nothing. Keith chuckled at her, and got a glare in return.

 

“We’re at the same place as this morning,” he said, and Pidge made a face halfway between a scowl and a pout.

 

“What? Why! There are so many food trucks I want to try something different!” She made to step out of line but Keith was quicker, grabbing her arm to secure her in place.

 

“Hey! Keith what the heck man!”

 

“We’ve been standing here for a while now, and we’re almost at the front.”

 

“Yeah? So?”

 

“So, look around. Everywhere else will be just as long a wait. It would be pointless if we left now.”

 

Pidge pouted, but luckily Keith’s excuse made sense....for the most part anyways. Sure, the lines were just as long everywhere else, except for maybe the salad bar, but the wait wouldn’t have been that long had they decided to switch. Thankfully Pidge was distracted by her phone again, and giggled as she held it up for him to see.

 

“Oh my god. Matt just sent this.” Keith welcomed the change in subject, and lowered his head to get a better view. The picture was of Shiro and Allura holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, and looked pretty cute overall.

 

Or would have anyways, if Matt’s face hadn’t been in the frame. He was in the foreground, the photo having been a selfie, and wore a bored expression with heavily lidded eyes. The caption that ran along the bottom of the screen wrote ‘hello darkness my old friend’. Keith snorted, and Pidge cracked up.

 

“Oh god I feel so bad for him,” she broke off in another fit of giggles. “Well, actually, no I don’t. He knew this would happen.”

 

“Tell him we’ll only be a few more minutes.” Keith checked their progress in the line. They were getting closer now, edging slowly towards the front where the food truck from that morning was. He was getting a bit hungrier as the different smells wafted through the air, but as they neared the counter panic seized him.

 

What was he going to say?!

 

_You’re going to order food._

But what food?!

 

_There’s a menu! Read it!_

 

What if he tries to make conversation?!

 

_Then answer him like a normal human being._

But what if, what if-

 

_What if what! He’s just a guy. A hot one. Who has nice eyes. You’re allowed to admire that. Now quit being such a wimp!_

Pidge elbowed him in the side roughly, and Keith looked down with a yelp, his mental pep talk abandoned.

 

“Ouch, what was that for!” Pidge gave him an incredulous look and pointed with a finger.

 

“She asked you what you wanted like, three times. You zoned out.”

 

Keith blinked, realizing that while his mind had been wandering a group of people had left the line ahead of them, leaving him and Pidge at the front. A kind looking girl was staring down at him with a soft smile, her hair cut short to frame her face.

 

“Oh, um...” Keith took a few steps back to check if they were at the right place, but the truck was the same as the one they had been to that morning. He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

 

“Sorry, I uh- I thought someone else would be working.” Where was he?!

 

“Oh?” The girl turned to someone in the back of the truck, and a larger man with impressively muscled arms approached the counter. Uh oh...

 

“Hey, I’m Hunk. Can I help you with something?” Keith was momentarily taken aback by the kindness of this guy’s voice. He had been expecting something deep and gruff to match his appearance, but he supposed there was lesson to be learned there about not judging people based on looks.

 

“No, sorry, um...” Keith shook his head to help clear it. He hadn’t been expecting the hot server to not be there. He hadn’t prepared for that scenario, and now he looked like a complete fool. “I’ll just have a burger and fries please, with an orange pop.” God this was embarrassing.

 

The man, Hunk, shared a look with the girl behind the counter, before leaning across it to better speak with Keith.

 

“I’m the chef here, but Shay can take your order if you want.” He winked, and Keith felt his face redden in humiliation. Oh god...why was he being so stupid!

 

“Right, sorry about that,” he mumbled, ignoring the obvious smirk Pidge was shooting his way.

 

“Hey, no worries man. Festival air, am I right?” Hunk gestured around them, and Keith nodded, grateful for an excuse.

 

“Yeah that’s...yeah.” Wow. Convincing.

 

“So, that was a burger and fries, and an orange pop?” the girl, Shay, asked politely, drawing their attention back to the task at hand. Keith nodded once, before changing his mind.

 

“Actually, can I grab a coffee instead? My mind needs to wake up.”

 

“Sure thing,” Shay smiled and typed in his order.

 

“And can I get it with two creams, three sugar and a dash of cinnamon please?”

 

Hunk, who had turned and was moving to the back of the truck, paused suddenly. He slowly twisted to glance back down at Keith, and a strange look passed over his face.

 

“If that’s ok with you,” Keith started, but trailed off as a large grin broke out on Hunk’s face. He moved back toward the counter, winking at Shay as he did.

 

“Not a problem at all! Just unique. Dash of cinnamon you say?”

 

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, “it boosts the flavour.”

 

“You sure that’s not just all the sugar?” Pidge interjected, giving him a bored look. Keith stuck his tongue out in reply.

 

“No, I’ve heard that too actually,” Hunk was saying, taking a cup from the stack and grabbing a marker from his apron. “Can I get a name?”

 

Keith was taken aback by the request, but provided nonetheless. He supposed the truck was busy enough to be asking people their names for food and drinks. It was odd, but this was a festival. Besides, he wasn’t about to deny the chef anything, seeing as his burger had yet to be made.

 

After paying they moved to the side and waited for their food, Pidge teasing him about being weird and making fun of his coffee preferences, but Keith didn’t mind. He deserved it really, after making a fool of himself in front of the strangers. At least the hot one hadn’t been there.

 

That would have been a total mess.

 

When they got their order and left Pidge watched him take a sip of his drink, and her eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Hey, didn’t he write your name on the cup?”

 

Keith frowned in reply, turning the beverage around to see what she meant, and his own eyebrows dropped in confusion.

 

There, written in black loopy letters, was a name. But it wasn’t his.

 

“Who’s Lance?”

 

***

 

“Mooorrningg,” Hunk cooed as Lance entered the food truck. It was the second day of the festival, and the gates had yet to open. Hunk had already prepped his truck for the day however, and had been eagerly awaiting his best friend to show up.

 

“Sup,” Lance replied with a quick wave, removing his jacket and hanging it in the back. “Sorry about yesterday, mom said the sitter cancelled. Something about a flu, but I’m thinking the girl ended up here instead. Not that I blame her, the music is awesome.”

 

“No worries, Shay was more than happy to come in.”

 

Lance gave him a sly look. “Oh I’m sure she was.”

 

“Shut it,” Hunk blushed.

 

“So, did I miss anything? Impromptu dance sessions? Food truck fight? Super models searching for a hot, single guy to take them out?” Lance went on, leaning against the counter and stealing a piece of bacon from one of the bins. Hunk grinned.

 

“Something along those lines. I have something for you.” He reached under the counter and emerged with a paper cup, identical to the ones stacked in the corner near the coffee pots. Lance frowned.

 

“Do I look that tired?” he said, taking the cup from his friend. “You know I don’t drink that crap-” he trailed off, noticing that a name had been messily scribbled on it in sharpie. Lance examined it closer.

 

“Keith?”

 

Hunk was nodding knowingly, and Lance tilted his head in confusion.

 

“Hey Hunk, this may come as a shock to you, since we’ve been friends for years, but my name is actually Lance.” He extended a hand in mock introduction, “nice to meet you.” Hunk flicked it away.

 

“Ha. Hilarious. But you won’t be laughing once you realize who that is.” Lance quirked an eyebrow, flipping the cup between his hands distractedly.

 

“You going to tell me or...” 

 

“I’ll give you a hint.” Hunk leaned against the stove and folded his arms smugly, letting the suspense build before speaking. “Two cream, three sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.”

 

Lance’s eyes widened comically, and he rushed forward to grab Hunk by the shoulders, cup still in hand.

 

“No way!” he exclaimed, mouth agape. “How, when-wait...” he stepped back to stare at the cup. “Explain.”

 

Hunk chuckled. “He came back to the truck a few hours after you had to leave, and I didn’t realize who it was until he ordered that same drink. He was super awkward but in a cute sort of way. Shay and I couldn’t stop talking about it. She said-”

 

Lance held up a finger to stop him.

 

“Hold on, how do you know it was him? Anyone could have ordered that same drink. And you never saw him that morning!”

 

“You described him pretty well, in a disturbing amount of detail I might add,” Hunk replied, rolling his eyes. Lance wasn’t convinced.

 

“Yeah but I’m sure there are a ton of guys here that match his description!”

 

“Lance chill. I know it was him. He asked about you.” The lanky boy’s eyes grew wider in a display of shock and joy.

 

“Really? What did he say?!”

 

“Well, he came up to the counter sort of out of it, asking about another server when Shay tried to talk to him. Then I came to the front, thinking we had a trouble maker, and he was super awkward and blushy. It wasn’t until he ordered that drink that I knew for sure though.” Hunk adjusted the apron around his waist, briefly checking the time as Lance processed the new information.

 

“Ok wait,” he asked, eyes fixed on the cup, “he asked for me specifically? He knew my name?”

 

“Well, no...” Hunk went on, “but he will now.” He winked at his friend, who looked even more confused than ever. Then realization dawned on his face and Hunk beamed.

 

“Hunk what did you do!?”

 

“A favour!” Hunk answered, laughing as Lance tossed the cup at his head, where it bounced off lightly. “Don’t worry about it! You’ll just have a conversation topic for when he comes back!”

 

“ _If_ he comes back. You probably scared him off,” Lance grumbled, bending to retrieve the coffee cup.

 

“Me? Scare someone? I’m the most non-threatening person!”

 

Lance cocked an eyebrow as he tucked the gift in his coat pocket.

 

“Maybe to friends, but you look like The Rock’s cousin to strangers. All arms and chest and smelling like grilled meat, approaching them from the dark confines of this creepy truck. Bet you were holding a knife as well.”

 

Hunk pouted, folding his arms across his chest. “I was chopping tomatoes!”

 

Lance grinned, flashing a brilliant set of teeth at his best friend. Teasing Hunk was fun, but Lance was genuinely grateful to know someone as kind as him. Who else would make the effort of finding out the name of a guy he found cute? Someone he hadn’t even spoken to yet!

That was pure wholesomeness.

 

“Well,” he said, bumping his fist against Hunk’s shoulder lightly, “here’s to hoping this Keith guy shows up again.”

 

“Cheers to that!”

 

***

 

Shiro was in a mood.

 

Not a bad one, per say, quite the contrary. He was all smiles and good humour, and had been freely giving out hugs to their group all morning, Allura especially.

 

Keith almost felt bad for her, but she didn’t seem to mind the extra affection she was receiving from her boyfriend at all. And it wasn’t like there was anything wrong with Shiro being cheerful, the positivity oozing off him and starting to affect even Keith, except for the fact that he was staying in the same tent as Matt and him, and that meant another early start for no reason at all.

 

Keith had grumbled about wanting to sleep longer, seeing as they had been out late last night listening to the different performers and partying with new friends, and the ground wasn’t the most comfortable thing to pass out on, even with a sleeping bag.

 

So no, he hadn’t exactly shared in his brother’s outward enthusiasm about going on an early morning hike. At least Matt had been in relatively the same boat, having drank much more than the others, and suffering a vicious hangover as a result, but they were the only two not thrilled about the whole thing.

 

Even Pidge had been up and ready to go, jabbering on about getting better reception at the top of the mountain.

 

Ugh. Betrayed.

 

But Keith’s mood had shifted after a while, the light breeze and heat from the sun making him feel alive and refreshed. He had always liked the outdoors, and the trail to the top of the cliff overlooking the valley was easy to navigate; the view from the summit worth the early start.

 

And yes, they had all wanted more photos, but at least there were no hats this time.

 

Keith knew he would remember those moments with his friends for a long time, and they would one day become cherished memories, but now that it was nearing mid-afternoon he was lamenting his choice. He was exhausted, and the festival was just getting underway, so there was no chance to sneak away for a quick nap.

 

“Shiro, can we just find a place to sit and relax for a bit?” They had been wandering around the festival, checking out vendors and the like. Allura and Pidge had gone to the bathrooms, which had allowed Keith the opportunity to drag Shiro and Matt to a picnic table near the food trucks and wait.

 

“What? We’ve been relaxing all day!”

 

Keith gave him an incredulous look. “Are you serious?”

 

“Yeah Keith,” Matt chimed in, “hiking at seven in the morning is the height of relaxation! Especially after a night of partying!” Keith smirked at the sarcasm, but Shiro didn’t catch on, or else pretended not to notice.

 

“Exactly!” he beamed, and Matt rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hands as he groaned softly.

 

“I’m never drinking again,” he mumbled. The statement sobered Shiro somewhat, concern replacing his previous jubilee. Keith smiled to himself at the instant shift to Dad Mode.

 

“We should get you more water. And some food.” He looked around, eyes scanning the various options. He stood abruptly, and Keith glanced up to see what had caught his attention.

 

“They had good stuff, let’s go there,” he said, pointing to a familiar red and blue truck not three tables down. Keith felt his stomach drop.

 

Pidge had been relentless with teasing him after the awkward exchange there yesterday, but the name on the cup had distracted her enough to keep her from mentioning the whole thing to the others.

Keith on the other hand, had pondered it thoroughly, and had come to a rather outrageous conclusion.

 

Lance was the name of that server. The one with the blue eyes. The one he had been so prepared to talk with yesterday.

Not today.

 

But Shiro and Matt were already standing, so he had to think quickly.

 

“You guys go ahead. I’m not that hungry.”

 

Shiro gave him a quizzical look, crossing his arms in disbelief.

 

“You? Not hungry? Absurd.”

 

“All my energy is being spent trying to keep myself awake. There’s nothing left for hunger,” Keith retorted, and his brother relented with a grin.

 

“It’s good for you, but fine. We’ll be right back.”

 

Keith sighed in relief and watched them go. The last thing he needed was for his happy-go-lucky brother to embarrass him in front of some cute guy. And yeah, maybe he was reverting back to the whole admiring from afar and ‘he who hesitates is lost’ crap, but it had taken him a while to build up the nerve to introduce himself yesterday, and Keith just didn’t have the energy to spare.

 

Maybe tomorrow...

 

He turned his eyes back to the food truck where Shiro and Matt were now ordering. He could see with a jolt that the guy was back, leaning over the counter with arms folded loosely as he listened to what Shiro wanted. Keith watched him tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear in what could only be interpreted as a flirty gesture, and felt his face heat.

 

Was he jealous of his brother? Or was he angry at this Lance guy for being so frivolous with his actions. Both were obscene, but Keith couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed by both parties.

He had called dibs already....in his head.

 

Plus Shiro was dating someone! So what the heck!

 

Keith shook his head in an effort to rid himself of the ridiculous thoughts. What was he thinking? He had no right to be envious of anyone. He hadn’t even spoken to this guy yet! All he had was a name; a name that he was not even one hundred percent certain belonged to the handsome stranger.

 

It was pitiful really.

 

Keith was brought out of his dismal thoughts by a cup smacking down on the table in front of him. He jumped at the sudden intrusion, and was met with a pair of sly smirks worn by Matt and Shiro.

 

“What...” Keith began, but broke off when his brother winked at his friend, waving his eyebrows theatrically.

 

“Oh nothing,” he said, sitting down across from him and leaning forward with a mischievous grin. “Someone just thought you could use a coffee.”

 

Keith frowned, glancing down at the beverage in front of him. Steam rose up from the cup towards him, enticing him with the promise of caffeine. And, wait...was that cinnamon he smelled?

 

“Oh!” Keith brightened, “you didn’t have to get me anything, but thanks-” he broke off as Matt started giggling, his own mouth filled with sandwich. He nudged Shiro’s shoulder and waved his own eyebrows, which made Keith suddenly very suspicious of the drink in front of him.

 

“What did you guys do to my coffee?” he asked, previous gratitude flushed down the drain.

 

“Who, us?” Shiro asked in mock confusion. “ _We_ ,” he emphasized the word, gesturing between himself and Matt, “didn’t do anything.”

 

“Then why do you look like that.” Keith eyed the cup warily.

 

“Look like what?” Matt joined in, his voice high pitched and dramatic. They were terrible actors.

 

“What, did you put salt in it or something? I’m not really in the mood for this-”

 

“Just look at the cup Keith,” Shiro interrupted, and Keith sighed.

 

“You guys are so dumb...” he trailed off, noticing several black squiggles decorating the outside of the coffee cup. He turned it to read properly, careful not to spill any liquid, and felt his face turn three shades of red.

There, written in messy letters, was a simple message of ‘I don’t bite’, followed by a winky face. Keith knew immediately who had done it.

 

“What-why,” he managed, looking up at Shiro for answers. His brother was beaming.

 

“The guy behind the counter noticed you sitting by yourself, and asked why you hadn’t come up to order anything. We told him you weren’t hungry, but then he pointed out how tired you looked, and gave us a coffee on the house.” He shared a look with Matt, who was stuffing his face with food again. “For you.”

 

Keith gulped, his mouth dry and palms uncomfortably clammy. Oh god...this was embarrassing! But also very cute?! He looked behind Shiro towards the food truck, and the server, Lance, was watching him. He gave a slight wave when he noticed Keith staring.

 

Keith ducked down, hoping his brother’s bulk would hide him.

 

“Oh god, oh god,” he whined.

 

“What, do you not like him?” Shiro asked, concern dampening the teasing tones. “Should I tell him to back off?”

 

“No!” Keith exclaimed, a bit louder than he had wanted, and quickly amended. “Don’t. I, uh...I’ll just,” he groaned, unable to formulate a proper reply. What would he do? He had no plan for this...this callout! ‘I don’t bite’? With a winky face? What was that?!

 

“Uh oh,” Matt mumbled to Shiro. “Code Red.”

 

“Okay wow!” Keith said, knowing now the meaning behind the ‘secret’ message. “Uncalled for!”

 

Matt looked taken aback. “Wait, how did you find out!” then, after a moment, “Pidge!”

 

“Yeah, she accidently texted me the wrong list. So nice try.”

 

Shiro, who had been smiling throughout the whole exchange, turned to Matt suddenly.

 

“Wait, is there another list? Wait,” he grabbed his friend by the arm, “Matt, do you have code names for me?!”

 

Matt was silent, choosing to bite into his sandwich instead of answer, and Shiro gasped loudly.

 

“My own best friend! I’m wounded!” Shiro leaned dramatically across the table, clutching his chest as Matt fought a grin.

 

“Matt, what did you do to my boyfriend?” Keith turned at the sound of Allura’s voice, Pidge following beside her. Oh perfect.

 

“He has secret codes about me!” Shiro said pathetically, reaching his arms out to grab at Allura’s hands. She rolled her eyes at this theatrics.

 

“Who told you!” Pidge exclaimed, punching Keith in the arm for no reason.

 

“Ouch!”

 

“It was Keith,” Matt said at the same time, “but only because you let it slip! Bad Pidge, all your fault.” He took another bite of sandwich to avoid her glare.

 

“Hey! You guys were the ones who brought it up!” Keith said in his defense, but they ignored him, Shiro turning to his girlfriend and scooting down on the bench for her to sit.

 

“Anyways, we have a code red on our hands,” he said, and everyone nodded knowingly, all eyes on Keith. He was appalled.

 

“Are you joking me?! You guys are all in that?” They nodded, and Keith let his head fall to the table with a heavy _thunk_.

 

"Who is it?" Allura asked, and Shiro gestured to the server at the food truck. 

“Oh!” Pidge exclaimed, clapping her hands together in epiphany. “That’s who Lance is, isn’t it!” she shook his shoulder, but Keith preferred the cold embrace of death. Oh god...

 

“Who?” Matt asked, and Pidge went on to explain, in horrifying detail, the exchange from yesterday. He kept his head on the table the entire time, willing his body to merge with the wood.

 

“Aw Keith! That’s so cute! You have to go say hi,” Allura cooed, and he whimpered in reply. Not. Happening.

 

“Yeah Keith c’mon,” Pidge started, “he who hesitates-” He groaned louder this time, and she broke off with a laugh. There was no way out of this. Well, not without running off and getting lost in the crowd, but Keith didn’t think he had the energy or nerve to do that.

 

He stood, keeping his head lowered and glaring at the cup in front of him.

He could do this.

Just go up, say hi, and thank him for the coffee.

 

Easy peasy.

 

The others were quiet, not wanting to distract him, or else holding their breath to see what he would do. It was funny really, since in most scenarios he was all fight over flight. But with crushes? Dating? No way. Flight all the way.

 

Keith was an excellent flier.

 

But not this time.

 

“Ok,” he said, determination filling his voice. He grabbed the cup and, with a deep breath, approached the food truck.

 

***

 

“Oh my god,” Hunk whispered excitedly, grabbing Lance by the arm and jumping up and down. “Here he comes!”

 

“I can see that! Hunk,” he turned to his best friend, suddenly, inexplicably, nervous. “Hunk what do I do!?”

 

“What do you mean? You wanted this right?”

 

“Yeah, but like...I didn’t think it would work! No one ever responds to my flirts!” His eyes went wide in panic. “Oh god Hunk, what if he’s mad! What if he hates me! Hunk!” He moved to hide behind his friend, who rolled his eyes and easily held him in place.

 

“Lance, listen to me. This is good. This is a good thing.” Lance was chewing his lower lip; a nervous habit. Poor guy. “And if things go wrong, I’ll be right here with my knife.”

 

“Hunk!” Lance cried, but he was smiling now, so Hunk took that as good sign. “Now calm down and be the confident, flirty guy I know you can be!” He flipped Lance around and gently nudged him towards the counter, just in time for Keith to approach. There was a beat of absolute silence.

 

“Um,” the boy murmured, then in a louder voice, “hi.”

 

Lance leaned against the counter, folding his arms beneath him in a relaxed pose.

 

“Hey,” he said, and Keith took a visible breath. Another moment of quiet fell upon them, and Lance felt an awkwardness descend. Luckily he was saved from having to fill it.

 

“I’m Keith by the way,” the boy said, extending a hand for Lance to shake. He took it with a wide smile.

 

“The names Lance, but I think we already knew that about each other,” he made a pointed glance towards Hunk, who was trying, and failing, to look busy.

 

Keith nodded quickly.

 

“Just wanted to make it official.” He looked up after a moment, dark eyes staring into Lance's soul. “Thank you,” he continued, “for the coffee,” he held it up to show Lance, who chuckled softly.

 

“No problem, it looked like you needed it.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” Keith mumbled, and Lance snorted.

 

“I mean that in the best possible way.”

 

Keith smiled shyly, staring at the cup thoughtfully.

 

“My brother, Shiro, likes to get up with the birds,” he said after a moment, and Lance hummed. The boy glanced up at that, as if checking to see if Lance was still interested in the conversation. He smiled in encouragement, causing Keith’s ears to turn pink. Lance felt entirely smitten.  

 

“Your brother is Bangs McGee over there?” he asked, and Keith nodded, looking amused at the nickname.

 

“Sleeping in isn’t a concept he’s familiar with,” Keith went on, “so I’ve been subjected to torture these past few days.”

 

“Not a morning person?” Lance asked, and Keith shrugged.

 

“I like _being_ up early, I just don’t like _getting_ up early, if that makes sense.” Lance’s eyes widened in excitement.

 

“Oh my god you put it into words!” he turned to the back, where Hunk was watching them intently, all efforts for secrecy gone. “See Hunk, I told you I wasn’t the only one who thought that way. I think you owe me an apology.” His friend chuckled warmly.

 

“Guess I was wrong. There are people as weird as you,” he paused, turning to stare at Keith with a look of panic. “Didn’t mean it like that! You aren’t weird, you’re normal. Well, unless you are weird, I don’t know you, but I could, if you want to be friends-”

 

“Hunk, buddy,” Lance interrupted, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Chill.”

 

“Right, yeah, I’m just going to go back to making chilli. Don’t mind me.” Hunk disappeared further into the truck, and Lance’s attention was back on Keith in an instant, dark eyes staring up at him brightly. Lance nearly choked.

This guy was way too pretty to be real.

 

“That’s Hunk, my main man, but I get the feeling you already met.” Lance smiled coyly, and saw Keith’s face flush red.

                                                                                                                                                

“Uh, yeah about that...” he trailed off, then suddenly: “how did you know I liked my coffee this way?” He placed it on the counter in front of him, and Lance blinked, having completely forgotten about the drink. He felt his own cheeks redden and hoped the shadows from the truck would make it less obvious. He felt no reason to lie though, and raised one eyebrow teasingly.

 

“I always remember the orders of cute customers,” he added a wink for good measure, and Keith’s face turned a lovely shade of pink. Mission accomplished.

 

“Um...thanks,” he managed, and Lance chuckled at his bashfulness. It was then he noticed the group of people that Keith had been with all staring at them with their phones out a few tables away. He cleared his throat and leaned forward, speaking in hushed tones. “I think your friends are taking photos of us.”

 

Keith’s face was struck with horror, and he whirled, flipping the group off as they all laughed heartily. Lance decided he like them.

 

“I should let you get back to them,” he sighed, “you guys are missing the festival.” Keith turned back to him quickly, a look of disappointment briefly flashing across his face. He nodded though, staring at the coffee still sitting between them.

 

“I guess,” his voice was low, and Lance detected a hint of hesitation in it. Too cute.

 

“But you know,” he went on, and Keith glanced up hopefully. “I’m here all day. And tomorrow. And, in case you forgot,” he dropped his voice so Keith had to lean forward to hear the rest, “the food trucks all close down at around eight, so...” he trailed off, hoping the boy would get the hint.

 

He did, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face, lighting up his eyes and causing Lance’s heart to soar.

 

“Right, well, I tend to get hungry around that time, so maybe we can come to an arrangement...”

 

Lance grinned, shaking his head at the sudden nerve of this guy.

 

“I’ll bring fries,” he said, and Keith crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow in defiance.

 

“Burgers, and an orange pop.”

 

“Deal.”

 

They both stood grinning at each other for another moment, then Keith grabbed his coffee from off the counter and took a few steps backwards. He glanced back up at Lance through his long bangs, and lifted his free hand in a wave.

 

“See you around then,” he said, and Lance blew a kiss so as not to be one-upped. Keith blushed again, chuckling as he turned to rejoin his group of friends. The girl with long white hair and dark brown skin was clapping, which was hilarious, and the guy beside her, Keith’s brother, wiped a fake tear from his eye. The other two, who looked eerily similar, were pointing at their phone screens, most likely reviewing the pictures they had managed to take.

 

Lance couldn’t wait to meet them.

 

“Good job buddy!” Hunk slapped him on the back, and Lance exhaled shakily. He was smiling though, giddy with the turn of events.

 

“I can’t believe that just happened,” he squealed, grabbing Hunks arms and jumping up and down excitedly.

 

When he turned to look back at the group they were all surrounding Keith, chatting enthusiastically and smiling widely. His heart warmed to see such a supportive group of friends, knowing how wonderful they could be.

 

He rested an elbow on the counter, letting his head rest in his hand as he watched the exchange. Keith was really cute, arguing with his brother with his face almost as red as his jacket. It was charming.

 

And he had agreed to a date. Had _made_ it a date! Lance was over the moon.

 

The group started moving away, towards the grounds where the music performers were, but Keith hesitated. Lance watched him urge the others ahead, then slowly turn to look back at him. Lance tilted his head questioningly, and a wicked smirk appeared on the other boy’s face.

 

He pointed to the message Lance had written on the cup, which he hadn’t anticipated would work the way it had, then to himself, and mouthed the words ‘I do’. He ran off with a wink, leaving Lance captivated, if a little confused.

 

And then sudden realization hit him, and he felt his face flush, pulse rising as he grasped what Keith was saying, and bit back the urge to call out after him. Since when was this guy so smooth?! And kinky! Oh god what had he gotten himself into...

 

He couldn’t wait for tonight.

 

 


	2. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh wow,” Lance whispered, and Keith felt his chest fill with warmth. He glanced up at him, and then gestured towards the rest of the festival.
> 
> “Shall we?”
> 
> “Gladly,” Lance replied with gusto, falling in next to him as they made their way to the center of the grounds. Keith wasn’t sure what to talk about, but Lance didn’t seem to be worried about their lack of conversation; he looked pleased enough to just be walking together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The much anticipated (seriously you guys all requested a follow-up) DATE!!!

“HolyJesusGodfuck…” 

 

They were heading to the farthest stage, where a new round of performers were about to start. Keith had no idea who they were or what sort of music they played, and couldn’t be bothered in the least to find out. He had more _...pressing _ matters on his mind.

 

Pidge snickered beside him, they others having gone up ahead just enough to be out of earshot.

 

“Didn’t know that was a thing,” she teased, but Keith was too in shock to partake in the playful banter.

 

“I can’t believe I did that,” he mumbled, staring at the ground in front of him as they walked. He was too distracted to care where he stepped, and ended up walking through several puddles of unknown liquid. Pidge was more dexterous, avoiding the obstacles with ease.

 

“I can’t believe it either! I owe Matt five bucks, so thanks for that.”

 

“You were betting on me?” Keith exclaimed, momentarily forgetting the conversation that was on repeat in his head. Pidge gave him a look through heavily lidded eyes.

 

“C’mon dude, I think we’re well passed this point in our friendship. So yes.” She swerved to avoid a discarded plate of gooey fries, mumbling something about how gross the human race was under her breath. 

 

“Wow, ok! I’m glad you lost. Karma is on my side.” 

 

Pidge shrugged. “At least I’m not the only one. Shiro owes Allura a week of back massages, though I doubt he considers that punishment at all.” 

 

“Hold on,” Keith said, narrowly avoiding a collision with some random festival goer, “my own  _ brother _ bet against me?! What were you guys even betting  _ on?!” _

 

“You’ll have to be more specific,” she replied. “There were several.”

 

Keith groaned. “You know what, nevermind. At least now I know who my  _ real  _ friends are.”

 

“Oooo,” she cooed, eyebrows rising on her forehead comically. “You mean Laaannce?” 

 

Keith felt his face begin to burn and quickly looked away to avoid her seeing his growing blush.

 

“I was referring to Matt and Allura actually,” he grumbled, hoping his voice wouldn’t betray him. Apparently it had, seeing as Pidge was giggling.

 

“Sure, sure,” she teased, then in a more serious tone: “but really, I’m proud of you. Faced your fears and all that junk.”

 

“I wasn’t scared of talking to him!” Keith retorted, which was only partially true. Talking was easy enough once you got passed the awkward introductions, and they had. 

Sure, there had been cases where he could admit his fears had gotten the better of him, but it wasn’t like he stayed up late at night plagued by missed opportunities. Not really...

 

No. What had Keith so panicky this time around was the fact that he had asked Lance out. On a date.

 

Tonight.

 

And, oh god, what had he been thinking with the whole thing with the cup!  

He had just wanted to one-up the guy; give him a taste of his own medicine. But thinking back on it, Keith wished he had just stuck with the wave.

 

What sort of date would Lance be expecting now? Keith shivered.

 

“I mean, sure,” Pidge replied with a snort, misinterpreting his goosebumps. “Whatever makes you feel better. But you can’t deny you were scared of  _ something _ . You nearly ran off! Shiro looked ready to pin you down.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, but Pidge was right, as always. He  _ had _ been contemplating booking it out of there rather than confront Lance, but was glad he had overcome the urge. Or had been at least. His nerves were getting the better of him now that he time to process everything. 

His brain was working overtime, over analyzing every word; every gesture. 

It was exhausting.

 

“So,” Pidge continued, “what was it? Were you scared of making a fool of yourself again? Maybe tripping on the way up or spilling your coffee all over yourself-” 

 

“Rejection,” Keith interrupted quietly. There was no point denying it. Pidge, who had been chuckling to herself, fell silent as she stared up at him. 

 

“Oh. Dude that’s...way to make me feel bad,” she finished, and he smiled down at her softly. 

 

“Sorry, but you did ask.” 

 

Pidge patted him on the arm reassuringly, which meant a lot, coming from her. 

 

“Well, I’m glad everything worked out then. You had nothing to worry about.” 

 

Keith’s smile broadened. Yeah, Pidge was right! Lance had seemed pretty excited about the whole thing, and  _ had _ been the one to suggest the date in the first place, so what did he have to fret over really?

 

“Besides,” she added, and he looked down at her again. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

Oh.  _ God! _

 

“Pidge! Don’t say things like that, you’ll tempt fate!” Keith made to cover her mouth with his hand, but she dodged out of the way. A wicked grin appeared on her face, knowing how superstitious he was.

 

“What?” she asked slyly, “it’s not like he’ll stand you up,”

 

“He could!”

 

“Or laugh at you saying it was all a big joke,”

 

“That isn’t funny-”

 

“He could forget it entirely…”

 

“What if he does!?”

 

“Or try to kiss you,”

 

“That would be awful-” Keith paused, hand outstretched in a feeble attempt at getting her to shut up, his brain processing what she had said. “Wait..” 

 

His face reddened as she laughed heartily, going so far as to throw her head back as if she had just witnessed the most hilarious thing in the world. 

He shoved her lightly, and she nearly bumped into a passerby. 

 

“See!” she managed to say after collecting herself. “Quit being such a worry-wort!” 

 

“Yeah but Pidge, what if those things do happen!” he was panicking again, and Pidge crossed her arms with a huff.

 

“Well, then Allura will seek and destroy him, Shiro will erase him from the face of Earth, Matt will ‘kindly’ remind him,” she had been ticking her fingers with each, and waggled her eyebrows at him as she finished her list. “And as for the last one, that’s entirely up to you.” 

 

Keith flushed a bright red, and she snorted.

 

“Nice to see you’ll be helping me out,” he mumbled, and she shrugged.

 

“I’ll be the one taking pictures. Documentation is key.” 

 

Keith harrumphed in reply, but found himself feeling better. Yeah, his friends had his back. They were there for him, and if any of the things Pidge mentioned did come to pass, then at least he had a few shoulders to cry on.

 

Not that he would, but as long was the option was available he was happy. 

 

But there was still the matter of the last thing Pidge had been so kind as to point out. What if Lance  _ did _ try and kiss him?

What then?

 

He resigned himself to just wait and find out, placing his trust in his instincts. Like Pidge had said…

What’s the worst that could-

 

Keith couldn’t even finish the thought, and ran off in search of the nearest piece of wood to knock on in order to ward off bad karma. The last thing he needed was to jinx himself.

 

Pidge made fun of him for the rest of the day.

 

***   
  


“Lance, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

 

Hunk was scrubbing down the oven, the last of the orders having gone through. His  _ helper _ was supposed to be tidying up the condiments, but was instead working himself into a frenzy, dish towel wound so tightly in his hands that it was almost a rope. Hunk sighed.

 

“Gimme that,” he said, reaching to take the rag from his friend. Lance barely noticed.

 

“Hunk, dude, I’m freaking out. Why am I freaking out!” he didn’t wait for Hunk to reply. “I mean, I’m the calm one. I keep my cool. I’m suave and all that. So why does my chest feel like a hamster on steroids training for a marathon on it's wheel!” 

 

Hunk placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing Lance to stop and look at him.

 

“Lance,” he said, “relax.”

 

“Telling someone to relax when they’re stressed is like asking someone to be happier when they’re depressed Hunk! Insensitive and unhelpful!”

 

Hunk huffed, crossing his arms in front of him. Sure, maybe he wasn’t showing as much sympathy as Lance had grown accustomed to receiving, and in any other scenario he would have apologized, but the boy had been slowly unwinding all afternoon, freaking out over the smallest what ifs. It had been cute at first, but Hunk was tired, and now Lance was just being unreasonable.

 

“You aren’t stressed. You’re working yourself up and being a doorknob about things. It’s just a date.”

 

Lance threw his hands in the air with a scoff.

 

“ _ Just  _ a  _ date?! _ ” He leaned against the counter, mumbling furiously to himself. “Just a date he says, sure, easy for him to think,  _ just a date _ , he already has someone. He doesn’t need to worry about ending up alone and unloved and-”

 

“Listen to yourself!” Hunk grabbed hold of Lance’s shoulders and held them tightly, so that the smaller boy couldn’t twist out of his grip. “You sound insane! What are you worried about?!”

 

“Nothing! Everything, I don’t know-” He sighed heavily, letting his head fall forward onto Hunk’s chest. “I guess I’m just nervous,” his voice was muffled, but Hunk had heard him nonetheless.

 

“You? Nervous?”

 

“I know right!” Lance’s head shot up, nearly clipping Hunk in the chin. “I don’t  _ get _ nervous.”

 

Hunk smiled, letting go of his best friend’s shoulders and stepping back to appraise him.

 

“Hmmm,” he put a finger to his lips in a show of deep thought. “Let’s see....pupils dilated, cheeks flushed,” Lance fidgeted under his gaze, “palms sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy-”

 

“What…?” 

 

“Did you vomit on your sweater already? Was it mom’s spaghetti- ”

 

“HA,” Lance interrupted loudly, realizing what his friend was doing, “hilarious. Very funny.” Hunk broke off with a chuckle. 

 

“I’m serious Hunk, I’ve never felt this anxious before, I don’t know what to do…” Lance’s voice faltered, and Hunk instantly shifted from teasing to concern. 

 

“Hey, it’ll be fun. You guys can hang out, talk about whatever, or just listen to the bands.”

 

Lance was drumming his fingers on the countertop absentmindedly. “I guess…”

He didn’t sound relieved, or even mildly comforted, and Hunk chastised himself. He had comforted his lanky friend on thousands of occasions, for hundreds of different reasons, but rarely on first date jitters. Lance just wasn’t the type to get nervous over that sort of thing.

 

Then a thought occurred to him.

 

“Lance, is this your first date with a guy?”

 

Lance’s fingers froze, eyes widening as he stared out the food truck serving window. Bingo.

 

“Oh my gosh,” Hunk started, but Lance interrupted.

 

“It’s not!” he nearly shouted, then, in a meeker voice, “ok...maybe, technically, yes.” He stared up at his friend with a pitiful expression, like he had just committed a crime. Hunk could have laughed.

 

“I thought you’ve been with other guys before though,” he said instead, and Lance sighed.

 

“I mean, yeah, I’ve  _ been _ with tons of guys,”

 

“Woah dude, TMI.” 

 

“-but this would be the first  _ date _ I’ve had with a guy,” Lance continued, unfazed. “I don’t know what to expect.”

 

Hunk leaned against the stove.

 

“Well, you’ve dated girls before right?” Lance gave him an incredulous look.

 

“I’m offended you even had to ask.”

 

Hunk chuckled, holding his hands out in front of him in surrender.

 

“Okay, well it’s the same thing.”

 

Lance scoffed. “Right yeah, I’ll just compliment his hair and eyes and buy him flowers and hold his hand…” he trailed off, face reddening, and Hunk grinned. 

 

“Exactly!”

 

“Wait,” Lance said with a shocked expression, “really?”

 

“Of course,” Hunk replied. “Guys aren’t any different than girls, not really. You’re overthinking things. Besides,” he shoved a box towards Lance, who took it hesitantly, “you’ve already got the biggest part down. Food.”

 

“You didn’t…” Lance lifted the lid of the carry out box, revealing several of Hunk’s choice meals; burgers, fries, and his favourite mini donuts, and his face lit up with a brilliant beam. “Hunk you’re the best!” Lance rushed forward, engulfing his friend in a suffocating hug. 

 

“I figured you’d forget so,” he wheezed out, and Lance stepped back, teeth exposed in a wide grin.

 

“I owe you big time.”

 

“Yeah, can I get that in writing?” Hunk asked, but Lance was too excited to bother with a witty remark, and was hurriedly tossing on his coat before pausing and heading into the very back of the food truck.

 

“What are you-” Hunk started, but trailed off as Lance came back with an orange soda in his hand. “Ah. Gotcha.” 

 

“The man made a request, and I plan on delivering,” Lance informed him, and Hunk smiled to himself at seeing his best friend more relaxed as he made his way out of the truck. 

 

“Didn’t you say eight?” he asked quickly, realizing that Lance was about twenty minutes early. “Where are you going?”

 

Lance turned back with a quick wave, eyes mischievous as he spoke.

 

“I’m going to go find the prettiest flower for him! Something to match his eyes! I’ll see you later!”

 

Hunk chuckled to himself. Typical Lance, always going above and beyond. He waved in reply, watching his friend disappear into the crowd, and went back to tidying up the kitchen before closing everything down for the night. He was excited for Lance, and his big date, and knew he would be checking his phone continuously all night for any sort of update. 

 

And if this Keith guy turned out to be a huge prick, then Hunk would be ready with a shoulder for Lance to cry on, and a vengeance in his heart.

 

He hoped it wouldn’t come to that though, since Lance deserved all the happiness in the world, and this Keith fellow seemed nice enough, if a little awkward. But that was good. Awkward was better than cocky and standoffish. 

 

And who knew, maybe their date would go well enough for there to be others, and maybe Lance would finally find someone to call his own. With Shay in his life, Hunk had become less available for his best friend to hang out with, and had felt immeasurably guilty about that fact. But if things worked out between Lance and Keith, then he wouldn’t feel so bad about spending time with her over him, because Lance wouldn’t be alone.

 

Hunk smiled to himself, sending his thoughts out to his pal and hoping that luck would be on his side tonight, and let the window to his truck fall shut.

 

***

Keith was a bit early leaving his group of friends. They knew where he was going, and had been insufferable with the teasing, but as he began to walk towards the area of the festival where the food trucks were, Shiro had pulled him aside.

 

“Hey, you going to be ok?”

 

Keith took a deep breath to steady himself, not wanting his nerves to show. 

 

“Yep!” he replied, voice strangled and high pitched, as if someone were slowly letting the air out of a balloon. Perfect.

Shiro gave him a concerned look.

 

“You know,” he said quietly, so the others wouldn’t overhear, “on my first date with Allura, I was so nervous I puked in a flower box outside her house.”

 

Keith’s eyes widened at that, having never heard that part of the story before. 

And he had heard it a lot.

 

“Really?”

 

Shiro nodded, face going slightly pink as he recalled the events.

 

“Yeah. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest, and I couldn’t keep my legs still. I was thinking, hey, I’ll bring her flowers, and was about to pick some when I spotted her in the window, and my stomach flipped so badly the contents...well,” he broke off with a light chuckle. “Needless to say she didn’t get any flowers that night.”

 

Keith was speechless as he gaped at his brother.

 

“No way…” he whispered, shocked to hear such a wild confession.

 

“Yep.” 

 

“Dude, you were going to give her her own flowers?!” 

 

Shiro balked, his face growing confused, then incredulous.

 

“Seriously? That’s the part you’re hung up on?” 

 

“Like, you thought she wasn’t going to notice that you’d ripped up the daisies from her garden?!” Keith started laughing, the thought of his brother standing at Allura’s doorstep with a fistful of her own flowers in his hand too hilarious to picture.

Shiro’s face was a bright red as the others looked over in their direction.

 

“Everything ok over there dear?” Allura asked, and Shiro gave her a thumbs up before turning back to Keith with a groan.

 

“It was going to be romantic! You’re missing the point. But anyways,” he shook his head, and Keith wiped the moisture of unshed tears from his eyes, though still thoroughly amused. “What I’m trying to get at is that you’ve already done a better job than I have.”

 

“Yeah well, I wasn’t really planning on ordering food from there and then giving it back to him, but thanks for the advice.”

 

Shiro rolled his eyes.

 

“Wow, aren’t you just mister hilarious tonight. That’s the last time I give you any heartfelt advice.”

 

Keith chuckled, but let his appreciation for what his brother was doing show.

 

“No but really, thank you. I feel better now.” 

 

Shiro nodded, the smile on his face proud as he stared down at Keith.

 

“Good. That was what I was aiming for. Now, remember, just don’t throw up, and everything should go well. And,” he leaned forward again, dropping his voice to only a whisper. “If this guy tries to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, knock him on his ass then run as fast as you can back here. I’ll have my phone on, as will the others, so don’t hesitate to call if you need help.”

 

Keith swallowed hard at that. He hadn’t really considered the possibility of this guy being a creep. He  _ seemed  _ nice enough, but then again, they had really only had the one conversation.

 

Oh god...there were the nerves again.

 

Shiro must have noticed.

 

“Crap, I just freaked you out, didn’t I.” 

 

“Uh...I mean, do  _ you _ think he was creepy?” Keith asked, suddenly very anxious, but for very different reasons than before. Shiro quickly shook his head, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder reassuringly.

 

“No! God no,” he said, and Keith felt relief flood into him. “He seemed really nice, and I didn’t get any weird vibes from him. Neither did Matt.”

 

“You talkin ‘bout me fools?!” Matt called out from a little ways away, having heard mention of his name.

 

“All the time!” Shiro called back, and received a rude gesture in return. Keith was smiling widely at the exchange.

 

Shiro turned back to him, and patted his shoulder again. “You’ll be fine. I’m really proud that you got the nerve to actually ask him out.”

 

“Yeah, well, apparently you weren’t all that confident in me before. Pidge told me about the bets.”

 

Shiro laughed, and Keith eyed him warily. 

 

“Geez, Pidge sucks at keeping secrets,” he mumbled. “But no, I wasn’t betting against you.”

 

“She said you owe Allura a month’s worth of massages!”

 

“God I  _ wish _ !” Shiro exclaimed, and Keith frowned up at him in confusion. “It’s only a week’s worth.”

 

“What.”

 

“C’mon little bro,” Shiro teased, “did you really think I’d pass up the opportunity to give that woman a massage!? I mean, just  _ look _ at her!” he turned to stare at his girlfriend, who was laughing at something Matt had said, and sighed happily. 

 

Keith crossed his arms in front of him.

 

“You do realize I’m gay, right?”

 

Shiro turned back to him with a pout.

 

“Yeah but, even you can still appreciate a fine work of art when you see one-”

 

“Shiro you’re being gross!” Keith whined, covering his ears as his brother laughed. 

 

“Alright, fine. Go on then, enjoy your date. Don’t take any strange pills, drink any pre-opened beverages, or sneak off from the festival without telling me where you’re going first. Got it?”

 

“Yes dad.” 

 

“Good,” Shiro nodded, ignoring the last comment. “Also, here,” he handed a pack of mints to Keith, who took it with confusion. Shiro simply winked. “You never know.”

 

Keith clued in then, and held the mints out in front of him in disgust, as if his brother had just given him a dirty sock. 

 

“Do you just carry these around with you all the time?!” he asked, and Shiro nodded sagely. 

 

“Like I said, you never know. And no one likes kissing a guy with bad breath.” 

 

Keith flushed at the thought of kissing Lance, then felt sick with knowledge that his brother had kept the mints in his pocket for the sole purpose of smooching his girlfriend. 

He cringed.

 

“You’re nasty, you know that?”

 

Shiro raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“You want them or not?”

 

Keith hesitated for just a moment, then pocketed the mints shamefully. Shiro was watching him smugly, which Keith decided to ignore.

Besides, what if the opportunity for a kiss actually arose?

 

_ Oh god… _

 

“That’s what I thought,” Shiro said knowingly.

 

“I’m leaving now,” Keith stated, then turned away before his brother could tease him further. 

 

“Bye Keith!” he heard him call out, then a chorus of ‘good lucks’ and ‘use protection’ sounded out from the rest of his friends, and he ducked his head as he merged with the crowd, eager to be away from their obnoxious mockery.

 

He was grateful though, for the brief pep-talk with Shiro, and felt much better about going to meet Lance. Plus he wasn’t as early anymore, and wouldn’t come off as needy or too eager, which were never good things on a first date in his opinion.

 

No.

 

It was better to show Lance that he was still willing to go on this date, but not overly excited about it, and decided that showing up right at eight would be the perfect way to do that. 

 

Unfortunately though, Lance must have had other ideas, since when Keith arrived at the food truck, it was closed, and entirely vacant. His breathing hitched, panic seizing control of his body as his mind filled with negative thoughts.

 

It had been a joke.

Lance wasn’t there.

He didn’t want to do this.

This was embarrassing.

The others would laugh, or else shower him in pity, and Keith couldn't decide which option was worse.

 

_ I shouldn’t have come- _

 

“Hey.”

 

Keith whirled at the voice, spinning so quickly his eyes spun for a moment, before landing on the figure of a tall boy with dark bronze skin and sea glass for eyes, holding his hands behind his back.

 

“Lance,” he said, and, after hearing how breathy his voice sounded, tried for something else. “Hi.” 

 

_ Nailed it.  _

 

“Hey,” Lance chuckled, and they stood staring at each other for a moment too long, before Lance averted his eyes and cleared his throat loudly. “Hold out your hands,” he instructed, and Keith tilted his head in confusion.

 

“Why…?”

 

Lance grinned, rolling his eyes playfully. “Just do it!”

 

Keith hesitated briefly, before obliging and doing as he was asked, watching the boy with a curious expression.

 

Lance removed one of the arms from behind his back, revealing a plastic bag that he plopped down into Keith’s outstretched hands.

 

“Ta-da!” he exclaimed as Keith peered inside. The smell alerted him to what was in the bag before he even opened it fully, and his eyes widened in excitement. The bag held a large box of food, as well as a can of orange pop that had Keith’s insides squirming in excitement. 

 

“Woah! I didn’t think you’d actually remember!” He opened the take-out box and withdrew one of the donuts, eyeing it with disbelief before popping it into his mouth. Lance was watching him with an amused expression, and Keith felt himself blush.

 

He swallowed quickly, then held out the bag. “Sorry, you want some?” 

 

Lance shook his head, the smile still in place as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. 

 

“I’m good right now. I have something else for you actually,” he said, almost shyly, and Keith let the lid of the box fall closed before holding the bag loosely at his side. He felt almost bad now, seeing as he hadn’t brought anything for Lance, and made a mental note to offer to pay for something later on in the night.

 

“What is it?” he asked, and watched as Lance’s cheeks flushed. 

 

“Um...you have to close your eyes.” 

 

Keith didn’t hesitate this time, and let his eyes slide shut with a quick grin. This was adorable.  _ Lance, _ was adorable.

 

He heard the other boy take a quick breath, then the ruffling of clothing, and then something was tickling his nose.

 

“Ok, open up.”

 

Keith did, and was greeted by Lance’s outstretched hand near his face, a large purple flower secured firmly in his grasp. 

 

“Oh!” Keith squeaked, leaning back slightly to get a better view of it, and felt his face begin to heat. Lance had gotten him a flower?! He was almost wishing he had taken Shiro’s advice more seriously and gotten some of his own to give, but the thought was quickly dashed from his mind as Lance’s face fell.

 

“Y-You don’t have to take it,” he stammered, words rushing out of his mouth and tripping over one another. “It was stupid actually, I just figured that you might want one, but now that I think about it a flower is actually really lame and I should have just stuck with the food and-” 

 

Keith silenced him with a large grin, and took the gift gently from Lance’s hand.

 

“I love it, thank you.” 

 

Lance’s eyes were wide as he froze momentarily, then a lopsided smile erupted on his face, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

 

“Yay,” he mumbled contentedly as Keith brought the flower to his face and smelled it. He had never in his life been given such a thing, but found the gesture surprisingly sweet. And with that realization came another, entirely more shocking one: he liked this guy.

 

A whole fucking lot.

 

“I got it to match your eyes,” Lance stated after a minute, and Keith felt his stomach flip over.

 

_ I’m so screwed… _

 

But Keith wasn’t worried, and allowed himself to find comfort in the fact that Lance hadn’t turned out to be a jerk, and that he seemed to genuinely be interested in him. Which was a good thing, because Keith could already feel himself falling for the guy. 

 

“My eyes?” he asked, and when Lance nodded bashfully, tucked the flower behind his ear, pulling back a large section of hair from his face in the process. He could have laughed at the other boys’ expression, but settled for a shy smile as he ducked his head slightly to keep his own blush from growing too visible. 

 

“Oh wow,” Lance whispered, and Keith felt his chest fill with warmth. He glanced up at him,  and then gestured towards the rest of the festival.

 

“Shall we?”

 

“Gladly,” Lance replied with gusto, falling in next to him as they made their way to the center of the grounds. Keith wasn’t sure what to talk about, but Lance didn’t seem to be worried about their lack of conversation; he looked pleased enough to just be walking together. 

 

But as much as Keith was enjoying the silent company, he wanted to get to know the boy beside him better.

 

“So,” he said, and Lance glanced down at him. “You run a food truck?” 

 

“Me? No,” Lance answered, swerving to avoid a group of people crowded near the bathrooms. “My buddy Hunk, who you met, does. I’ve just been helping him out.”

 

“So you haven’t seen any of the festival yet?” 

 

Lance shook his head.

 

“Nope. Just what I could see and hear from the truck.”

 

Keith blinked in disbelief.

 

“Wait, so you’re saying you came to a music festival just to cook food for other people? Why!” 

 

Lance shrugged, eyes wandering around the area they were walking, taking in the new sights.

 

“Hunk needed someone to help out, and I wasn’t doing anything else, so yeah.” He winked down at Keith. “And I don’t cook. Just serve. I’m the eye candy of that truck.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes, shaking the bag containing the food in his hand lightly.

 

“So you’re saying this is a one time thing?”

 

Lance scoffed, placing a hand over his heart in mock offense. 

 

“Wow! So quick to doubt my skills! I’m wounded Keith, I thought you knew me better than that!” 

 

Keith chuckled, then raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “So you  _ can _ cook?”

 

“I've been told I make a mean bowl of Kraft Dinner, does that count?”

 

Keith guffawed loudly, gaining him several stares as they walked through the crowd of people. Lance was grinning down at him, apologizing to passersby that he bumped into as his attention was fully on Keith. 

 

“I don’t know,” Keith finally managed, “I’d have to try it and see.” He realized what he had said after a moment of silence, and looked over at Lance with wide eyes. 

 

“It’s a date then,” the boy said, and Keith felt his cheeks heat, quickly turning his attention back on the growing throng of people ahead of them.  

 

_ Jesus Keith, get through one date before you start planning others! _

 

But at the same time, he was thrilled, and motioned for Lance to follow him as he maneuvered over to a nearly vacant sitting area; the majority of the people choosing to move towards the stages as the next round of performers warmed up.

 

They sat down, and Keith helped himself to some more of the food Lance had brought, who stole a few fries and such as they chatted. 

 

“Alright, since this is your first time actually seeing the festival, you get to decide where to go.”

 

Lance hummed as he thought, toying with the donut in his hand, then bringing it up to his eye and staring at Keith through the small hole in the middle. 

 

“Who’s playing right now?” he asked, and Keith brought out his phone, where he had a picture of the schedule.

 

“Umm…” he mumbled as he scrolled down to the right time and date, eyes scanning the list of performers. “Quintessence is on stage four…” he trailed off as Lance made a face.

 

“Uh,” he said, and Keith chuckled lightly.

 

“Yeah, I don’t like them either. Their lead singer is such a jerk, and his lyrics don’t even make sense.”

 

“Exactly! Screw Zarkon!” Lance agreed enthusiastically. “He wrote a song about living forever just to find his missing cat, and it just..sucked? Like, the guy has such a large following, and I’ve seen so many people wearing their merch, but man, I don’t get it.” 

 

Keith was nodding, thrilled that Lance shared similar views. Music was important to him, and this was almost a test to see if he and Lance would even be compatible.

 

So far it was a huge yes.

 

“Right?!” he exclaimed, grabbing a fry and taking a bite. “And the female vocalist is terrifying! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her full face!”

 

“I think you’d turn to stone if you did,” Lance stated as he stole another donut. “Apparently she and Zarkon have a kid together.” 

 

Keith nearly choked. “ _ What?!” _

 

“Yeah,” Lance chuckled. “Though they haven’t confirmed anything, and no one has ever seen the guy, so I think it’s just a rumour. A publicity stunt or whatever.”

 

“Or a fear tactic,” Keith supplied. “Like, if you don’t listen to their music, they’ll send their gremlin love child to find you at night.”

 

Lance barked out a laugh. “Jesus Keith!” 

 

“Too far?” Keith asked, chastising himself for saying such a weird thing on their first date. But Lance was still laughing, so maybe that was a good thing.

 

_ Same sense of humour? Check. _

 

“Oh my god,” Lance managed after collecting himself somewhat. “The scary part is I can totally picture it.”

 

“Ok, so Quintessence is out,” Keith chuckled lightly, scrolling past the band in search of others. “How about The Lions?” 

 

Keith was actually a huge fan of their music, and was hoping Lance would agree to see them. The band was made up of five members, each one nicknamed after a colour, which had seemed childish to Keith at first, but he had changed his mind after listening to a few of their albums. 

 

With songs like theirs, Keith didn’t feel he had the right to judge the names. 

 

Lance was nodding, licking the powdery icing from the donuts off his fingers. Keith tried not to focus on his mouth too much though, forcing his eyes back down to his phone screen instead of on Lance’s lips. 

 

He thought about the mints in his pocket, and felt his face heat at the mere idea of kissing the guy in front of him.

 

_ Take it easy, one step at a time. _

 

“They sing ‘Form up’, right?” Lance asked after a moment, and Keith nodded, a bit disappointed that Lance was only familiar with their more popular tune. “Cool, yeah I like them. I think my favourite song of theirs is ‘Giant’.”

 

Or maybe not, since that song was virtually unheard of to anyone else in Keith’s friend group, besides Pidge, since it was from one of their earlier records, before the group was as big.

 

“That one’s about robots you know,” he said, wondering if Lance was aware of the hidden message in the song.

 

“Yeah,” Lance smiled at him. “That’s why I like it.” 

 

Keith huffed out a laugh. ‘Giant’ had a great beat, but if one were to listen to the lyrics closely, they would know that the song is actually making fun of the rising trend of mega robots in today's pop culture. Keith couldn’t count how many movies he had seen in recent years with similar themes, and was glad to know that Lance had been able to pick up on it.

 

_ Knowledgeable in music? Check. _

 

“Who’s your favourite member of the band?” Lance asked suddenly, pulling Keith out of his thoughts. He didn’t even have to think about the answer though.

 

“Red, all the way.”

 

Where he had been expecting agreement, Keith was surprised to hear Lance groan, dropping his head on the table dramatically as he did.

 

“Oh god, you’re one of  _ those _ people,” he said, voice muffled but teasing. 

 

Keith huffed, crossing his arms in front of him with a pout.

 

“And what’s  _ that _ supposed to mean!”

 

Lance lifted his head, tucking a hand under it and staring at Keith with a sly grin.

 

“Edgy, too cool for the world, loud bass guitarist loving punk-” he broke off suddenly, eyes growing wide with excitement as he reached forward and grabbed hold of Keith’s hand.

“You even have fingerless gloves! How did I  _ not _ notice that before!”

 

Keith scoffed, jutting out his lower lip and blowing a section of bang out of his eyes. He didn’t pull his hand away though, preferring to let Lance hold it up, if only to relish in the warmth of the brunette's hand against his. 

 

“Hey, I’ll have you know I had these gloves  _ long _ before I knew about The Lions.” It was true, and had been one of the main reasons behind him getting into their music in the first place. “And Red isn’t the only that wears them. Yellow and Black do as well.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes, playing with the tips of Keith’s fingers absently. 

 

“Sure, whatever you say rockstar.” Keith nearly bit his tongue at that, and let his other hand come up on the table so he could rest his chin on it in an effort to look calmer than he felt. Lance was still holding his hand, and had shifted his fingers so they were slowly entwining with his. 

 

_ This sly fucker… _ Keith thought to himself, but wasn’t about to pull away. Holding Lance’s hand felt natural, not forced or weird or even clammy. It was nice, and he let his own fingers clasp gently around Lance’s and secure the position. 

 

He saw Lance’s eyes widen slightly at the shift, then the cutest little grin broke out on his face, and Keith felt that warmth inside him grow exponentially. 

So much so in fact, that he was worried the heat in his cheeks would be enough for Lance to feel, even with the table separating them. 

 

“So who’s  _ your _ favourite?” Keith asked, continuing the conversation as a means to distract his mind from wandering too far down future paths, as well as allow him the opportunity to calm his racing heart. Lance blinked at the question, as if he too had been deep in thought.

 

“What? Oh, uh…” he let their hands drop to the table surface, still clasped tightly together, but more comfortable, and shifted in his seat slightly. “I’d have to say Blue. She plays like, every instrument with such...emotion I guess? I don’t know, there’s just something about her.” 

 

Keith hummed to himself, considering Lance’s reasoning. Yeah, he supposed Blue was more...refined, than Red in terms of how they played, and could see why Lance liked her best. He wasn’t about to waiver on his own opinion, but figured they couldn’t agree on everything. Where would the fun be in that?

 

“You want to head over there then?” he asked, and Lance nodded, tidying up the table and standing to toss the bag in the trash. He let go of Keith’s hand in order to do so, which was entirely disappointing, but extended it again as soon as he was finished, and Keith beamed. 

 

He stood, moving around the table and lacing his fingers with Lance's with a shy smile, and together they joined the crowd, heading to the farthest stage where The Lions were gearing up to perform. 

 

***

 

Lance could hardly contain his excitement.

 

First, he was in a large group of people; a mosh pit basically, which he loved. Second, he was about to see one of his favourite bands perform, up close and loud, just the way he liked it. And third, he got to do all that while holding the hand of the most beautiful boy in all existence.

 

He glanced down at said boy for what felt like the hundredth time that night, ensuring himself that, no, this wasn’t a dream, and yes, this guy was real and still wearing the flower in his hair, which was impressive, since the crowd of people was pushy, and it was on several occasions that Keith was knocked back into Lance, not that he minded. 

 

“You sure you want to get this close?” Keith asked, his voice louder than before to compensate for the volume of the mob. Lance nodded.

 

“Of course! That’s the only way to watch these sorts of things!” 

 

Keith simply rolled his eyes in reply, pressing in tightly to Lance’s side as a group of teens tried to push themselves further into the crowd.

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, face red as he stared up at Lance, but like he had said: he didn’t mind one bit.

 

He was about to say as much when someone behind him pushed into his back, shoving him forward and down onto Keith. Their faces were closer now than they had been all night, and he heard the sharp intake of breath from Keith at the sudden change in their position. 

 

Lance wanted to apologize, but found that the only words his mind was supplying were  _ Keith _ and  _ kiss,  _ and it didn’t take a genius to know the two went hand in hand.

 

He was trapped in those sparkling eyes, and when they began to slide shut, the boy's face tilting upwards towards his, Lance let those words take over, leaning his own head downwards to close the gap.

 

And then the crowd surged forward as The Lions made their appearance on stage, and both boys broke apart with a jolt.

 

Lance swallowed the lump in his throat, irritated by the interruption, but then he heard Keith laughing, and figured it wasn’t so bad. He squeezed their hands briefly, then shouted over the roar of the crowd as the first beats of a song began to ring out.

 

“Come on! Follow me!” 

 

“Where!” Keith called back, and Lance gestured to the front of the stage, where fans were jumping up and down wildly, screeching the names of the band members as they introduced themselves.

 

“To the front!”

 

“We won’t make it!” 

 

Lance winked at him, bolstered with the chance to prove himself. “I’m an expert crowd maneuverer. So much so in fact, that they call me the Tailor!” 

 

“Oh, really?” Keith huffed, raising an eyebrow at him. Lance laughed at the expression.

 

“I’ll prove it! C’mon!”

 

And with that he was off, pulling Keith along behind him as he dodged elbows and scooted passed bodies to weave his way to the front. It helped that he was tall, and most people moved out of his way without much fuss, in some cases encouraging them to keep going as they made their way to the front, where the mass of people was so thick it could almost be described as a solid. 

 

But Lance was unfazed. He could do it,  _ would _ do it, if only to impress Keith. 

 

As the lead singer, Black, began belting out the lyrics to one of their songs, the crowd lost it, and Lance used that opportunity to sneak forward a few rows, until he and Keith were practically at the very front. That was where Lance stopped though, since being pressed up against the bars with an overzealous group of people behind him wasn’t the most comfortable situation, and Keith probably wouldn’t enjoy the shoving, since he was smaller than Lance.

 

“Ta-da!” he said, and Keith’s face was enough to tell him he had succeeded in impressing him. 

 

“Not bad,” Keith replied as he looked up at him, a large toothy grin complimenting his other features so perfectly that Lance was once again overcome with the urge to kiss him. 

 

And he nearly did, had the crowd been more cooperative, and not surged forward with renewed vigour as the chorus of the song was reached. 

 

Frustrated, but still giddy, Lance settled for pulling Keith in close to him, and began singing loudly along with the song, raising their hands and getting lost in the music. 

 

Keith, as it turned out, had a fantastic voice, and Lance was floored at how crisp it sounded among the hundreds of other voices that were threatening to drown it out. Or maybe he was just more attuned to it, which was also likely. 

 

Either way, Lance found himself, on several occasions, more enthralled with hearing Keith sing than the actual Lions, and let the smile on his face grow with each new song. 

 

Keith knew all the words, even to the songs that Lance hadn’t heard before, and as the night went on, Lance found himself paying less attention to the performers, and more time staring at the boy at his side. 

 

He studied the way his eyes lit up whenever Red took center stage.

He admired how his body swayed with the rhythms of the crowd.

He longed to run his hands through that hair, which was tossed back and forth whenever the beat of a song intensified. 

 

Lance watched Keith through rose coloured glasses, enamoured with every little detail, and as one of the slower songs from The Lions began, he leaned down to whisper in the boys’ ear.

 

“You wanna dance with me?”

 

Keith looked over at him, eyebrows pinching together in confusion as he looked around at the people beside them. Many were just large groups of friends, swaying to the music and chanting along with the singers, but others were couples, and Lance could see Keith’s mind working as he saw how  _ intimately  _ they were dancing.

 

“Um...sure?” he replied, and Lance could sense the hesitation in his voice. He could have laughed at the way Keith angled himself against his front, following the lead of several other couples around them, but Lance had something else in mind, and quickly spun him around to face him, grabbing hold of Keith's waist and lifting their already entwined hand up to shoulder height.

 

When he said dance, he meant quite literally.

And what better dance for the song currently playing than ballroom?

 

“What are you-” Keith began, but trailed off as he clued in. A large, albeit confused, grin broke out on his face. “Seriously?” he asked, and Lance nodded, gesturing for Keith to follow his lead.

 

He did, and placed his free hand on Lance’s shoulder, drawing himself in closer in the process. Lance had to bite the side of his tongue to keep from doing something drastic, and began turning in slow circles as The Lions serenaded them softly.

 

“Lance, I don’t know how to dance like this,” Keith confessed after stepping on his toes for the third time. “And I don’t think there’s enough room.”

 

“Pfft, it’s easy, and you’re doing great. Plus,” Lance looked around them, and Keith did the same, noticing that the crowd around them was backing off a bit, in order to give them more space. “We have lots of room.” 

 

Lance was sure that was simply because the people around them didn’t want to get pegged by elbows, but as he slowly turned with Keith in his arms, he saw several eyes begin to stare at their odd choice of dancing, which only fueled his fire.

 

As he turned back to Keith, he was met with bright indigo eyes, matching the tones of the flower still in his hair, and an idea occurred to him. 

 

“Hey, you good with dips?” 

 

“With what-” Keith broke off as Lance tilted forward, keeping his hand at Keith’s waist firmly in order to secure the boy as gravity fought to pull him down. Keith let out a small yelp, which gained the attention of several more people in the proximity, and Lance felt the hand at his shoulder dig in; a reflex against the sudden shift in position, and quickly brought Keith back up, letting him fall flat against his chest with a soft ‘ooft’. 

 

Lance chuckled as someone whooped behind them, but didn't turn to see who; his attention entirely on the boy in is arms. 

 

“You okay?”

 

Keith nodded against his chest, then lifted his face to grin up at him.

 

“That was fun,” he huffed, then smacked Lance lightly on the arm. “Don’t do it again!”

 

Lance chuckled at that, a wicked smirk on his face.

 

“Oh? Then how about this?” And before Keith could reply, he spun him outwards, extending his arm as the crowd around them shifted to accommodate the movement. Keith twirled with expert grace, like releasing a spinning top, and had a brief moment of reprieve as he reached the end of Lance’s arm in which he was able to get out one word.

 

“Lance-”

 

And then Lance was pulling him back in, using his momentum to twirl them in a tight circle, before firmly planting his feet and letting Keith fall back down into a second, much deeper dip.

 

The crowd cheered around them, and Lance knew it wasn’t because of the song being sung. He was grinning as he stared down at Keith, who’s face was flushed a bright red. 

 

“Sorry,” he said with a laugh at seeing Keith’s bewildered expression, but before he could get more out, the hand at his shoulder shifted to his chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt firmly as Keith pulled him downward, and before he could so much as yelp in surprise, their lips met. 

 

The roar of the crowd was intense, and several shrill catcalls sounded out, accompanied by frivolous cheering that would otherwise have Lance coursing with energy.

 

But as his lips met Keith’s, the noises of the festival around them were drowned out; fading to nothing more than a loud drumming sound, which Lance realized absently was his pulse in his ears. He struggled to keep his feet firm on the ground, so elated he was to finally be able to kiss the boy in his arms, but somehow managed. 

 

And as the kiss deepened, with Keith’s lips softening after the rough initial impact, Lance heard a quiet hum in the back of Keith’s throat, a noise that could almost be described as purring, and felt his heart forget how to beat properly for a fraction of a second. Their hands, which had been clasped tightly, broke apart, with Keith reaching behind Lance’s neck to better support himself, and Lance using his free arm to wrap around Keith’s shoulders and pull him in closer. 

 

Keith tasted amazing. 

Keith  _ felt _ amazing.

Keith... _ Keith _ was amazing!

 

And then Lance was grinning, his lips unable to keep from pulling upwards as happiness surged through his body, and they broke apart. 

 

Suddenly, like a screen door breaking open in a strong wind, the roar of the crowd rushed back into his ears, but Lance didn’t bother looking around. He knew there were people staring; could feel their eyes on he and Keith as they cheered. 

 

It was exhilarating, but could never compare to the sensation kissing Keith had provided.

 

Nothing would. 

 

“And that, ladies and gents, is why we do what we do!” came a loud voice, breaking through the buzzing in Lance's head. He hoisted Keith back up onto his feet, realizing with a shock where the voice had come from. The lead singer of The Lions was looking straight at them,  _ pointing _ straight at them, and Lance was speechless as he and Keith were suddenly everywhere; their dramatic kiss being displayed on replay on nearly every screen in the vicinity. 

 

Lance felt his jaw drop open, and around them the crowd chanted, thumping them on the backs with congratulations and the like.

 

“We do it for LOVE!” yelled Black, and slammed down on her electric guitar, transitioning into a faster paced song that took the attention off them as quickly as it had brought it, and everyone’s focus was immediately back on the main stage. 

 

Lance’s heart was thumping, and he could only blink in awe as Keith slowly turned in his arms, facing him once again. His own eyes were blown wide, pupils dilated and cheeks so red they were nearly glowing, and had Lance not known better, he would have thought the guy was on something.

 

“Did that just happen?” he asked, voice trembling and unsteady. “Did...that did-tell me that didn’t just happen.” 

 

Lance wasn’t sure what to say. Was Keith upset? He didn’t  _ look _ upset…

 

“Are you mad?” he asked, ducking his head down lower so Keith could hear him better. 

 

_ Oh god, I should have asked him before doing any of that- _

 

“Mad?!” Keith exclaimed, bringing his hands up and running them through his hair. Lance noticed that the flower was gone, most likely thrown from his head as he was tossed around from their dance.

 

Or else fallen to the ground after that kiss.

 

_ That kiss.... _

 

“The singer of The Lions just spoke to us! She freakin pointed her finger at us! I’ve never felt so blessed in all my life!” He grinned up at Lance, who couldn’t help but reciprocate the expression.

 

“That was the plan,” he joked, throwing an arm around Keith’s shoulder and pulling him in close. “Well, the kiss was all you. Totally unexpected move, by the way, and a bit unfair, if I do say so myself.”

 

“Oh? And why’s that?”

 

Lance smirked, shifting so that Keith was facing him fully once again, and brought his arms down to the small of the boy’s back, where he clasped them together firmly. 

 

“Because maybe  _ I  _ wanted to be the one to kiss  _ you _ first,” he admitted slyly, and Keith raised an eyebrow teasingly.

 

“Maybe so,” he breathed, forcing Lance to lean down closer in order to better hear him. “But you were taking too long.”

 

Lance gasped dramatically, heart screaming with joy upon hearing those words, and let his forehead fall gently onto Keith's, staring into those wonderfully dark eyes and willing himself not to get lost in them.

 

“Impulsive  _ and _ impatient? That's a dangerous combination.”

 

“So I’ve been told.”

 

“But you know what else you are?” Lance mumbled, their bodies swaying lazily to the music, and Keith quirked an eyebrow questioningly. “Impressive, impeccable, and impossible to ignore.” 

 

Keith’s ears were bright pink as he ducked his head into Lance’s chest, trying his best to cover the blush that was quickly spreading across his face. Lance laughed, thrilled at the reaction, and hugged Keith tightly as the crowd rocked back and forth as Blue took over.

 

There were no more theatrical kisses as the concert went on, but Lance didn’t mind. In fact he much prefered to just have Keith next to him, holding him close and making comments about the music whenever he felt the need.

 

They stayed until the very end, cheering loudly for an encore when The Lions finally ended their set, and then allowing themselves to drift along with the crowd as it dispersed lazily from the stage. Their hands were still entwined tightly as they emerged into more open space, but Lance allowed a gap to form naturally between them as they walked, to let Keith decide what was comfortable in terms of personal space. 

 

His heart tittered excitedly when he noticed that said space wasn’t very large.

 

“So,” he swung their hands lazily as they walked aimlessly around the festival. “What now?”

 

Keith glanced up at him, then looked around at their surroundings, humming lightly to himself as his eyes wandered over the darkened structures around them. 

 

“Um...well the festival is basically over for tonight, but it’s still pretty early. Do you want to just explore a bit?”

 

“Explore what? Everything is shut down.” 

 

Keith smirked deviously, before steering them towards a large building that Lance didn’t recognize. 

 

“Maybe,” Keith said, angling around the structure and towards a back entrance that would otherwise be hidden from view from passersby. He stopped in front of a door, releasing Lance’s hand in order to feel the top of it for something, then held up a small silver key triumphantly. “Or maybe not.”

 

“Wait...is that-” Lance began, but trailed off as Keith shushed him with a finger to his lips, causing his mind to short circuit.

 

“Shh,” he hissed, eyes darting around them to see if anyone had heard. “Stealth mode,” he whispered after ensuring the coast was clear, and shoved the key in the lock of the door, twisting it sharply and ushering Lance inside when it swung open.

 

The inside was dimly lit, but Lance’s eyes adjusted quickly, and as he looked around he realized he was surrounded by hundreds of his own, distorted reflections. 

 

“Is this a house of mirrors?” he asked, clueing in, and Keith nodded enthusiastically. 

 

“I came here the first day with Pidge and we saw the staff go through this entrance. I’ve been meaning to come back and check it out after dark, since there’s a top patio that overlooks the entire festival.”

 

Lance gaped down at him in disbelief. He had never in his life broken into a building before.

Snuck out, yes, but sneak in?

 

Technically they had used a key though...so did it really count as a crime? 

 

His thoughts were forgotten as Keith grabbed hold of his hand again, dragging him through the twisted passage of mirrors, stopping every now and again to chuckle at their reflections, and Lance’s worries ebbed away with each stolen glance in Keith’s direction.

 

If seeing this boy smile like that was considered a crime, then Lance was prepared for a life sentence. 

 

“I didn’t know you were such a badass. Breaking into buildings to get me alone,” he teased as Keith led him to the bottom of a set of stairs. The boy paused short of the first step, turning back to stare at him with wild eyes.

 

“You nervous?”

 

“You wish.”

 

Keith grinned wickedly, dimples in full force as he pressed himself in closer, forcing Lance to back into a wall and placing both hands on either side of his head, trapping him. Lance felt his breath hitch in his throat at the sudden position he found himself in, and could only stare back into Keith’s eyes as his face pressed in closer, stopping just shy of Lance’s mouth.

 

“Is that a challenge?” he whispered, voice husky and taunting, and Lance had to remind himself how to swallow.

 

_ This guy! _

 

“Maybe,” he said instead, mimicking Keith’s tones, and was relieved to see Keith’s smile turn shy once again, his tough guy facade cracking just slightly. He pulled back, much to Lance’s displeasure, and took hold of Lance’s hands once more.

 

“Come on, the roof if just up here.” 

 

He led them up the flight of stairs, unlocking the door at the top and pushing it open slowly, to ensure they were alone, then moved over to the ledge.

 

Lance followed, shoving his hands in his pockets to protect them from the sudden chill in the air, and looked out at what Keith was seeing. 

 

“Oh wow!” he gasped, not having realized how high they had climbed, and was stunned to see the wonderful assortment of lights and people and buildings below them. He could see three of the five stages, the other two still hidden by a small expanse of trees, as well as the food area. 

 

“Hey there’s Hunk’s truck!” Lance pointed, leaning over the railing as he glanced back to see if Keith was looking.

 

“Yeah,” Keith smiled, “and over there is where we’re camping.” He pointed to a large gate where a good sized crowd was heading through. Lance knew enough of the layout of the festival to know that the designated camp grounds for the event were just beyond that gate, and placed his hands back in his pockets as he turned to face Keith properly, leaning his back against the railing of the patio.

 

“And how’s that?” he asked, genuinely curious. Camping at music festivals was wild, and sleep wasn’t something that generally occurred beyond those gates. 

 

Keith tilted his head at the question.

 

“Aren’t you staying there as well?”

 

“Nope,” Lance shrugged. “I live in the area, so I get a real bed to go home to.”

 

When Keith didn’t say anything right away, Lance elaborated, worried that his statement may have been misinterpreted as a hint of some kind. The last thing he wanted was to make Keith feel uncomfortable or pressured into anything. And he also didn’t want to brag.

 

“My family likes to sleep out on the lawn on these types of nights though, to listen to the music and pretend we’re actually there, so I might be forced into a sleeping bag when I go home anyways.”

 

Keith smiled at that, but it was only a flash of amusement, before turning sad. Lance leaned forward at the change, worried he had only made matters worse.

 

“You ok?”

 

Keith shrugged, tapping his fingers idly on the edge of the railing as he looked out over the festival.

 

“It’s just...I don’t live here.”

 

Lance took a moment to process his words, confused by the statement.

 

“I sort of figured that one out actually,” he joked, “what with the whole tenting thing. Also I’m pretty sure I would have remembered seeing someone as good looking as you…” he trailed off as Keith sighed heavily, eyes downcast and lip wedged firmly between his lips. “Keith…”

 

The boy looked over then, straightening his shoulders as he turned to face him fully.

 

“It’s just not really fair, you know? Like, I finally meet someone I actually  _ like _ and I have to leave in a day.” He sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck absently as he stared down at his shoes. “I was sort of hoping...I don’t know, that maybe we would get more time or something. That you wouldn’t be from here...That I didn’t like you as much as do.”

 

Lance was speechless. He hadn’t stopped to consider any of those things, but Keith was right.

 

A night or two at a music festival hardly seemed like enough time, especially when Lance knew that this was more than just a little crush. He really  _ liked _ Keith! He  _ wanted _ to be with him for more longer than a few days.

 

It was sudden, yes, but Lance hadn’t felt this way about anybody for a while, and he wanted to hold onto the feeling. 

 

He wanted to hold onto Keith.

 

“I...I hadn’t thought about that,” he admitted, and felt his heart sink as low as Keith’s shoulders as they sagged at the confession. Was this going to be their last night together? Was their relationship ending before it even really began? 

 

But then a thought occurred to him, and Lance reached out to grab Keith’s hands once more, momentarily shocked by how cold they felt.

 

“Where do you live?”

 

“It wouldn’t matter,” Keith sighed, staring at their hands. “I live with my brother, and he’s transferring to a different university this fall, so I’ll probably be going wherever that is.”

 

Lance paused at the new information.

 

_ Maybe...just maybe... _

 

“Which university?” he asked, and Keith frowned up at him.

 

“I don’t know the full name. Space something?”

 

_ No way! _

 

“The Galaxy Garrison for Space Exploration?”

 

Keith’s eyes lit up in recognition, and he nodded. “Yeah that’s it! Wait...how did you know?”

 

Lance felt relief wash through him, and he pulled Keith forward into a tight embrace, practically beaming as his mind whirled with new possibilities. 

 

New hopes.

New opportunities.

 

“Lance-can’t breathe!” Keith stammered into his chest, and Lance let his grip loosen enough to hold Keith at arms length, grinning all the while.

 

“Keith. Keith-that’s...I go there! That’s my school!”

 

Keith was silent as he processed his words, then a slow smile spread out across his lips as he stared up at Lance.

 

“Wait...for real? You’re joking…”

 

“I’m not! This will be my second year!”

 

“But-” Keith’s eyes wandered his face, disbelief and hesitant relief flashing across his features. “But I thought you lived  _ here _ ...” 

 

“My  _ family _ lives here!” Lance stated, not bothering to keep his voice hushed anymore. He was too excited to care about stealth at this point. “I just come home for the summers!” 

 

“So...that means you’ll be at the same school as Shiro?”

 

Lance could only nod in reply, his cheeks beginning to hurt from smiling so much.

 

“And,” Keith continued, putting it all together with painful tardiness, “I’ll be living with Shiro...who will be at the same school as you...which means...I might see you around?”

 

“I mean…if you want-” Lance was cut short as Keith grabbed hold of the front of his shirt, tugging him down into a kiss very similar to the one they had first shared, mintier this time, but Lance reacted much quicker than before, and wrapped his own arms around Keith’s waist, lifting him up and spinning him lightly.

 

Keith broke apart first, laughing at the motion, and Lance set him down gently. He wasn’t about to stop though, and placed several quick kisses up and down his jawline as Keith giggled shamelessly. 

 

He relented as Keith let out a small snort at the attention, the sound so cute and unexpected that Lance leaned back enough to stare at him fondly, but any teasing he was about to do was cut short as he saw the expression on Keith’s face; cheeks red and dimpled, eyebrows high on his forehead, and hair slightly tousled from the breeze. It was enough to make him hold his tongue...or rather, enough to give him better ideas for how to use it.

 

“Yes, I want that. Very much,” Keith whispered, and Lance closed the gap between them with a grin, mashing their lips together with ill-hidden urgency. He wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the night just like that, with Keith’s fingers playing with the ends of his hair at his neck, bodies pressed tightly together with the festival below oblivious to their location, but it was not to be.

 

A flash of bright light swept over them, followed by a quick shout.

 

“Oi! Get down from there!”

 

Lance ducked down, pulling Keith with him, but the railing provided little in terms of cover, and the two of them were bathed in yellow light as the person below them shone their flashlight on them again.

 

“This area is restricted after hours! I request that you get down immediately!”

 

Lance cursed under his breath, recognizing with a jolt who the voice belonged to.

 

_ Coran! _

 

“We have to go!” he whispered feverently to Keith, but the boy was already moving, pulling Lance along behind him as he made his way quickly over to the other edge of the patio. “Wait, how do we get down?!”

 

Instead of answering, Keith shot him a wink, then climbed over the edge of the railing and jumped down to a small ledge, shimmying along it and then dropping down to the ground in a roll without making a sound. Lance was too stunned to move for a moment, but then Coran was shouting again, and his body began working on its’ own accord. 

 

He followed Keith’s path as best he could, but his dismount was not as smooth, and he landed heavily with a loud thud that echoed around them.

 

Without saying a word, Keith grabbed him by the arm, hoisting him up and shooting him a wide grin before dashing away from the building, zigzagging around groups of festival folk and various booths before finally coming to a halt behind a row of picnic tables.

 

Both boys were too out of breath to do anything but sit for a moment, but when they finally exchanged looks, they broke out laughing at the absurd situation they had just escaped. 

 

Lance fell back against the seat of the table, leaning his weight on it as his eyes filled with tears from the laughter, with Keith sitting on his knees in front of him, clutching his sides as they began to cramp.

 

“Oh god,” he panted, chuckling as he regained some of his composure, and stared up at Lance with a grin. “That was crazy.”

 

“I really hope he didn’t see us,” Lance managed to get out, letting his head fall against the edge of the table as he wiped moisture from his eyes. 

 

“I don’t think he did. Close one though.”

 

“No kidding.” He started chuckling again, imagining the look on Hunk’s face when he would tell him about it tomorrow. Figures Coran would be the one to spot them up there. 

 

Oh well, the moment felt infinitely more memorable now.

“Also, since when are you good at parkour?” 

 

Keith sat up, repositioning himself on his rear and wrapping his arms around his legs loosely. 

 

“Like, jumping off stuff?” 

 

Lance nodded.

 

“Yeah. You freaked me out! Thought I was going to have to explain to your bro why you were suddenly in pancake mode.”

 

Keith chuckled at that, shaking his head lightly in the process.

 

“I don’t know,” he confessed humbly, “I’ve just always been light on my feet.”

 

“Like a cat.”

 

“Um...how about something cooler? Like a tiger, or a cheetah.”

 

Lance scoffed, making to stand and extending a hand down to help Keith up.

 

“Or a lion?” he asked, and Keith’s cheeks flushed as he took Lance’s hands, standing with ease. 

 

“Yeah, that works.”

 

“So I can call you Simba then?”

 

Keith groaned, rolling his eyes as he adjusted his grip to entwine his fingers with Lance’s once again.

 

“If I’m Simba then you’re that monkey..what’s his name...Ratbikini?”

 

Lance nearly choked.

 

“Rafiki! And rude!”

 

Keith laughed lightly, glancing around the area to ensure they weren’t still being followed, then began making his way in a direction Lance wasn’t familiar with. He didn’t care though, so long as he was still with Keith.

 

“I’ve always considered myself to be more of a Timon really,” he went on. “All jokes and good humour, long slim body type…”

 

“You’re way cuter though,” Keith stated, and Lance bit his lower lip in an effort to keep from squealing in delight. He settled for a quick squeeze of their hands instead, and pressed himself in closer to Keith’s side.

 

The path they were taking was well trodden, and they passed several large groups of people as they made their way down it. Some of the trees had been decorated with fairy lights; winding around the trunks and up into the branches like fireflies. It was lovely, and the soft yellow glow of the lights made Keith’s features more pronounced, highlighting his cheekbones and making his eyes dance with stars. 

 

“Where are we going by the way?” Lance asked after several minutes of silence. He hated to break it, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

 

Keith smiled up at him in reply.

 

“I want you to meet my friends.”

 

***

 

Sneaking Lance into the camping area of the festival proved easier than Keith had been expecting. All it took was for them to go along close behind a larger group of partiers, waggle their wrists to security where the wristband for access would be located, and smile a lot. 

 

Keith had been prepared with an entire, well thought out story as to where Lance’s wristband had gone should they have been stopped, but the security guard barely acknowledged them as they moved through the gate, which was as relieving as it was concerning.

 

What if some random weirdos were able to get through to where a bunch of teenagers were sleeping? 

 

Wasn’t security even a  _ bit _ concerned about that?

 

_ Quit worrying. This is a good thing. _

 

Keith decided to let it drop for now, but he was definitely going to mention it to Pidge tomorrow. She would have something to say about the lack of dedication to the job of protecting young innocent children...or something along those lines. 

 

Shiro on the other hand, would probably volunteer for the position of security guard himself, so Keith figured it best not to bring it up with him around.

 

Lance was beaming as his head darted around the field that was their campground, unable to focus on any one thing. Keith couldn’t blame him. An assemblage of multicoloured tents were speckled randomly in front of them, with no sense of order at all. Some people had set up little solar lights outside their areas, while others hadn’t even bothered to set their tents up at all, and were passed out in sleeping bags on the ground.

 

Keith steered them towards the area he and the others had chosen; a small outcropping of trees that provided more cover than the open field, as well as privacy. It was farther from the edge of the festival, and thus less popular, but as they made their way towards it, Keith was grateful for the absence of noise closer to the gate.

 

Sure, it was still loud, but much more tolerable, and as he led Lance towards their small collection of tents, he was greeted by the smell of roasting marshmallows, and his stomach growled audibly.

 

“Hungry?” Lance asked, smiling down at him teasingly, and Keith rolled his eyes in reply.

 

“Always.”

 

Lance chuckled at that, attention wandering once again as they drew closer to the site. Keith wasn’t at all as worried about his friend’s meeting Lance as he thought he would be.

 

Allura would be friendly, Matt would make jokes, Pidge would probably embarrass the crap out of him but that was to be expected.

 

And Shiro...well, Shiro would probably tease him later, once he and Keith were alone. There would also be a talk about keeping in contact as Keith recalled with a sinking drop in his stomach that he had neglected to keep his brother, or any of the others, updated that evening.

 

_ Oops. _

 

But that could all wait. For now he would just introduce Lance, enjoy some, hopefully civil, conversation, and just relax, knowing that this wouldn’t be a one time thing.

 

_ Hopefully… _

 

Finding out that Lance went to the same university Shiro would be transferring to had felt surreal, and Keith hadn’t dared hope to believe it at first. But maybe the universe was on his side this time.

 

Or maybe it was just some good luck; a reward for keeping away the bad karma.

 

Whatever the case, Keith felt blessed with the information, and was suddenly very eager to move in with his brother and Matt in a brand new location. Plus Pidge would be there, since she was enrolling to take some university level courses in her grade twelve year.

 

And who knows...maybe Keith could do some upgrading, and join himself. 

 

But those were thoughts for a later date, and he was pulled back into the present as Lance stopped suddenly at his side.

 

“Earth to Keith? You still with me rockstar?” 

 

Keith blinked, realizing they had walked up to the wrong campsite, and quickly steered them in the right direction.

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled quickly, ignoring the smirk on Lance’s face as he waved to the random strangers they had just intruded on. 

 

“I’m so glad those guys weren’t your friends,” Lance murmured as they left. “One of them was wearing plaid and stripes. I almost died just looking at him.”

 

Keith snorted, gesturing for Lance to keep his voice low, but the boy wasn’t having it.

 

“Bad fashion sense is a crime!” he called out loudly, and Keith felt the stares of nearby campers. Lance didn’t seem to care. “Humans weren’t put on this earth to mix plaid and stripes!”

 

“Agreed!” Someone called out, and Lance fell silent as his head whipped around in the direction it had come from. Keith sighed in relief, recognizing the voice immediately and following it towards their tents.

 

He hadn’t wanted to admit that he may have gotten them momentarily lost.

 

“You’re one to talk Matt,” came another voice, and Keith chuckled as he heard Pidge tease her brother. “You wear socks with sandals.”

 

“Pfft, do not.”

 

“Do so! You’re wearing them right now!”

 

“These are  _ not  _ sandals! They’re birkenstocks.”

 

A collection of groans sounded up, and everyone came into view as Keith and Lance rounded a stand of trees.

 

“Basically the same thing,”Keith announced, and everyone turned abruptly to stare at him.

 

Well, at  _ them _ , since he was still holding Lance’s hand firmly in his own, and hadn’t thought to let go.

 

_ And why would I? _ he thought to himself, pulling Lance in closer as he moved to sit next to Shiro on a long, slowly rotting log. Lance followed behind, waving awkwardly at everyone as he sat next to Keith.

 

“Like you would know,” Matt grumbled, completely oblivious to their new guest, and Pidge smacked his arm lightly.

 

“Code purple,” she whispered, but her voice carried over towards Keith, and he narrowed his eyes in her direction, not knowing what purple represented.

 

He didn’t want to find out.

 

“Everyone,” he said loudly, gesturing over to Lance with his free hand. “This is Lance.”

 

“We know,” came a collection of voices, and Keith pouted as he realized that, of course they already knew Lance, because they had all been there when he had asked him out in the first place.

 

_ Oh god. _

 

Lance looked momentarily startled, but recovered quickly with a large grin down at Keith.

 

“I guess my reputation precedes me,” he mumbled, and Keith nudged into his side playfully.

 

“I’m Shiro.” A hand reached passed Keith and over towards Lance, who shook it firmly with a quick nod. Shiro smiled back, raising an eyebrow and shooting Keith a wink, before gesturing around the circle and introducing the rest of their group.

 

“The fashion disaster is Matt,”

 

“Hey! I have great fashion sense!”

 

“The smaller version of him is Pidge,”

 

“Wow that’s the most offensive thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

 

“And this,” he took Allura by the hand, kissing it softly and smiling proudly at Lance as he introduced her. “This is my lovely girlfriend.”

 

“Shiro,” she chastised teasingly, reaching her other hand out to shake Lance’s as Shiro had done.

 

“I’m Allura,” she said, and Lance froze beside him. Keith glanced over in his direction, wondering what had happened, and saw that Lance’s mouth was hanging open, eyes blown wide and looking like he was going into shock.

 

Most people had similar reactions when meeting Allura, but Keith felt a pang of jealousy ignite in his gut at seeing the guy he had been holding hands with, not to mention  _ kissing _ , openly stare at her. He untangled their fingers, bringing his hands into his lap and trying to keep the green eyes of envy from landing on him, but Lance didn’t seem to notice.

 

“ _ You’re Allura?!” _ he said, startling them all with the question. 

 

“Yes..?” Allura drew her hand back, glancing over at Shiro hesitantly.

 

“But you don’t look  _ anything _ like him!”

 

_ What the hell? _

 

Lance must have noticed the strange looks he was receiving, and quickly shook his head, holding his hands up in front of him as if in surrender.

 

“Oh god, sorry, that was super creepy. Um-” he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, fidgeting under the gaze of everyone around the fire. “I know your uncle is all. He mentioned you yesterday.”

 

Allura’s confusion was replaced with a wide smile as her face brightened, and she leaned forward once again, passed Shiro and Keith, to better converse with Lance.

 

“You know uncle Coran?” she asked, and when Lance nodded, the others all visibly relaxed. 

 

“Yeah, he helps run this festival right? I’ve known him for a few years now. He was the one who recommended Hunk’s food truck to be part of things here.”

 

“Yes! What are the chances!” Allura beamed, pulling her phone out and squinting at the sudden bright light. “I’m going to text him right now and let him know. What a small world!”

 

“I’m glad,” Shiro stated, leaning forward to stoke the fire with a stray stick. “I thought I was going to have to do some serious questioning for a second there.”

 

Lance gulped beside him, and Keith glanced over to see that he was visibly shaken. 

 

“Don’t worry about him,” Matt piped up, having noticed Lance’s reaction as well. “The worst Shiro can do is lecture you on the proper way to brush your teeth-”

 

“Don’t get him started-” Pidge cut in, but it was too late.

 

“Everyone knows it’s tongue first, then insides, then out.”

 

“No one brushes their tongues first Shiro! That’s weird!” Matt shot back, and while the two of them argued, Keith felt something press up against the small of his back, and realized with a start that it was Lance’s hand; his arm having wandered there during the commotion. He glanced over, and noticed Lance smiling fondly down at him, cheeks slightly rosy, and blue eyes glowing from the flames of the fire.

 

And with a pang of guilt, Keith let the envy that had been coiling in his gut loosen and drain from him. Of course Lance hadn’t been ogling Allura. That was absurd.

 

Lance had made it very clear that he liked him, and Keith felt ashamed that he had given in so easily to doubt.

 

He scooted closer into the boy, and leaned his head on Lance’s shoulder lightly, biting his lower lip to keep the smile from growing too large on his face as he felt Lance’s hand slip around to his side, drawing him in tighter.

 

Pidge had been watching them, and as Keith glanced over at her, he realized that her phone was positioned in such a way that he knew she was taking photos, despite trying to be stealthy about it.

 

He flipped her off with his free hand, and she stuck her tongue out in reply.

 

“So Lance,” Allura started, shoving her phone back into her pocket and making to stand. “You want anything to drink?”

 

“Uh, water would be great, thanks.”

 

“What, no alcohol?” Matt interrupted, cutting his and Shiro’s discussion off short. Lance shook his head.

 

“I have to drive home still.”

 

“You aren’t staying?” Allura asked, handing him a bottle and adjusting her chair to better face him. “You’re more than welcome to.”

 

“Not in my tent you aren’t,” Matt grumbled, and when Pidge elbowed him in the side roughly, elaborated. “There’s hardly enough room with big bones Shirogane over ther,” he pointed at Shiro, who kicked the legs out from under his chair, sending Matt flying backwards with a yelp.

 

“Gah! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” he complained in a mock british accent, and everyone laughed at his antics. 

 

“I can sleep outside,” Shiro offered, ignoring Matt’s flailings as he made to stand and readjust his chair. “I don’t mind.”

 

“No, it’s fine, I already promised mama I’d be home no later than one am to help out in the morning,” Lance chuckled, and Keith felt a bit disappointed at his reasoning. He had to appreciate the fact that Lance still referred to his mother as ‘mama’ though, and snuggled closer into his side upon hearing it.

 

Typical he would fall for a mama’s boy.

 

“So Lance,” Pidge spoke up, and Keith held his breath as he awaited the upcoming awkward stories about himself and how he had insisted they all eat at the same food truck just to see Lance, but was surprised when she asked him a question instead. “How did it feel kissing Keith?”

 

Keith’s heart stopped beating.

 

_ How did she know!!  _ _  Oh wait...the concert...and the dancing...and the dip...and-oh GOD!  _

 

He could feel his cheeks heating as he recalled the kiss he and Lance had shared during The Lions performance, and hadn’t once stopped to consider that maybe his friends had been part of that crowd, and would have seen the screens replaying that moment.

 

_ Where is the nearest hole I can crawl into and slowly decay... _

 

His embarrassed thoughts were cut short as Lance sighed happily, and he patted the top of Keith’s head fondly with his free hand.

 

“Can’t explain it. You’d have to kiss him yourself and find out.”

 

Pidge made a face of absolute disgust as the others all laughed, and Keith tilted his head away from Lance’s shoulder just enough to stare up at his face.

He was met with a sly smile as Lance winked down at him, and felt his heart flutter deep within his chest.

 

_ Thank you, _ he thought, grateful that Lance had been a whole hell of a lot smoother than him at answering.

 

“Gross…not happening. Ever,” Pidge complained, and Lance shrugged.

 

“Guess I’m burdened with the secret of Keith’s kiss forever then.”

 

“Oh god,” she groaned, “you’re worse than Matt.”

 

“That’s a compliment,” Matt explained, ignoring her eye roll. “Though I have to admit I’ve never kissed Keith. Do his lips hold the meaning to life itself? Are they like the holy grail? The fountain of youth? The-”

 

“Please stop,” Keith whined, letting his head fall into his hands as the others chuckled at his embarrassment. Thankfully Shiro saved the day.

 

“So you live here Lance?” he asked, changing the subject, and Keith sent him a silent  _ thank you  _ as well _. _

 

Lance nodded. 

 

“Yeah, but I go to school at the Garrison with Hunk. I heard you’ll be transferring there soon?”

 

Shiro gave Keith a knowing look, as if to say ‘talking about the future already, were we?’, but Keith ignored it. He was too content to let his older brother try and embarrass him now, and nothing could be worse than Pidge’s earlier attempt at making him blush awkwardly.

 

“Yes,” Shiro said in reply to Lance’s question. “I’ve been accepted as a TA while I continue my studies. Allura works there as well.”

 

“Oh wicked!” Lance exclaimed, rubbing Keith’s side absently as he leaned forward to better see Shiro. “Which classes will you teach, do you know?”

 

Shiro hummed to himself as he thought. 

 

“Advanced astronomy, beginners guide to rocket science, and the intricacies of space and time travel I think. Should be fun.”

 

“I teach the more basic stuff,” Allura added. “Things like telemetry and analytical software design for spacecraft.”

 

“Yeah,” Matt scoffed, “ _ basic.” _

 

Lance was practically vibrating beside him, and Keith glanced up at him to see his eyes were bright and eager.

 

“That’s so cool! I’ll be sure to take at least one of those this upcoming year. I’ll get Hunk too as well.” 

 

“Hunk goes there?” Keith asked suddenly, and Lance’s bright blue eyes were directed towards him, threatening to swallow him whole.

 

“Yep! I can’t wait for him to meet you guys. You’ll love him. I promise it on my life.”

 

“He’s the chef at that truck right?” Pidge asked, and Lance nodded once again.

 

“Really? I’m already in love with him,” Matt added, and Allura tossed an empty can at his head, which he caught with one hand. “My reflexes are too good girl! Nice try though-” he was cut off as a second empty can pegged him in the arm, thrown from Shiro’s direction. “Eh no fair! No tag teams!”

 

“We’re a package deal,” Shiro informed him smugly as Matt did his best to hide behind Pidge.

 

“They’re bullying me Pidgey! Protect me with your glares!” 

 

And glare she did, but not at Shiro or Allura, and Keith felt Lance’s chest vibrate as he laughed, and allowed himself to laugh along with them, overjoyed that his friends all seemed to approve of his date.

 

Which was good, since apparently they were all going to be in the same place come September.

 

The hours flew by with ease, with them all enjoying each others company and joining in on  conversation whenever a new topic was brought up. Matt, who had earlier that day made a vow to never drink again, seemed to have forfeited that promise in favour of beating Shiro in a game of would you rather, which Keith hadn’t known could involve the use of alcohol, much less be competitive, but the two had found a way. They were both giggling like fools near the fire by the time Lance took his phone out to check the time.

 

“I should get going,” he informed Keith, who had been trying his best not to doze off against Lance’s shoulder. As disappointed as he was that Lance had to leave, he was also relieved, seeing as now he could curl up in his sleeping bag and pass out without being teased further by the others.

 

As it was, Pidge was nodding off as well, and Allura was filming their respective siblings with her phone, giggling whenever Shiro made a comment about how lovely she looked in the moonlight.

 

“Okay,” he replied groggily, standing up to stretch and rubbing a kink out of his neck. “I’ll walk you back to your car.”

 

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Lance tried, but Keith cut him off before he could finish.

 

“I want to.”

 

Lance smiled sheepishly.

 

“If you insist,” he whispered, and Matt’s shrill voice startled them from across the fire as he rolled over on his side next to Shiro.

 

“Psst,” he tried to whisper, but it came out as a spray of spit that Shiro made a disgusted face at. “Your bro is sneaking off with the pretty one. I think they’re gonna have-”

 

“Keith!” Shiro interrupted, throwing a hand over Matt’s mouth roughly, then turning in their direction. “Do you need me to go with you guys? I’m a good chaperone.”

 

“Hell no,” Keith called back, grabbing Lance by the hand and leading him away from the fire before his brother could insist further. “I’ll be right back.”

 

“Don’t get lost! I can’t afford to buy you back off craigslist!” 

 

Lance was laughing, his expression confused, and Keith rolled his eyes, making a mental note to explain that to him later. Allura stood to walk with them to the edge of their campsite, where she shook Lance’s hand once more.

 

“It was very nice meeting you Lance,” she said quietly, so as not to wake their neighbours, though Keith doubted they were even asleep with the racket Shiro and Matt were making. “I look forward to seeing you around more often.”

 

“Thanks,” Lance beamed, then glanced down at Keith beside him. “I look forward to it as well.” 

 

Keith felt himself blush, and squeezed Lance’s hand playfully in reply. Allura was watching them curiously, but didn’t tease him, for which Keith was grateful. 

 

“Oh, also, if you see Coran tell him to call me. He’s terrible at answering texts, and it would be nice for all of us to get together maybe tomorrow or the day afterwards for a little barbeque at his place. I bet he would be thrilled to know we’ve all met.” 

 

“Yeah, sure, I can do that. I’ll let Hunk know as well so he can help keep an eye out. For someone with such bright hair he’s really hard to track down.”

 

Allura chuckled lightly in agreement, then waved and returned to the fire to help Matt try and stand while Pidge made her way into her own tent. She shot Keith a knowing look upon seeing them leave, and made a rather vulgar gesture with her hands that he pretended not to see. Lance, thankfully, was busy typing out a message to someone on his phone, and Keith quickly steered him away from his friends, following a drastically less crowded path than before back to the main gate.

 

“I like your friends,” Lance admitted once they were far enough away from them to speak louder. 

 

“I don’t,” Keith pouted, swerving around several tents to get back onto the main trail. “They’re all a bunch of brats.” 

 

Lance chuckled. “That’s why I like them. They suit you.”

 

“You calling me a brat?” he joked, and Lance quickly elaborated, clearly worried that he had offended him.

 

“No! It’s just that you guys are able to tease each other without taking it personally, you know? You’re like a big family. It’s nice.”

 

Keith considered that for a moment. He supposed what Lance said was true, and that he was fortunate to know such a close-knit group of people. Sure, they were a pain in the ass sometimes,  _ most times, _ but Keith supposed that was to be expected of his friends. 

 

He wouldn’t really want it any other way. 

 

“Well I’m glad then. And I’m pretty sure they all  _ love _ you.”

 

Lance glanced down at him with a raised eyebrow. “You think so?”

 

“Oh yeah.” Keith sidestepped a group of people sharing drinks around another fire. “Shiro has this sixth sense when it comes to judging people’s character. You’re one of the few guys I’ve introduced him to that haven’t been subjected to a detailed background check.”

 

“Wow...I’m flattered! I got the big brother approval!”

 

Keith scoffed, figuring Lance was being sarcastic, but when he looked over he saw that the smile on the boys’ face was genuine, and allowed himself to melt a little inside. Had Lance really been worried about what the others would think of him? 

 

He had no reason to be, since Keith rarely brought people back on the first date to introduce to his friends, meaning the others would already know how he felt about him, but he figured Lance wouldn’t know that.

 

It was adorable, and only made Keith more unwillingly to see Lance go. But it was late, and he  _ was _ tired.

 

They made it through the gate without any trouble,  _ seriously what’s with security? _ and Lance took the lead as he angled towards one of the parking lots on the far side of the festival grounds.

They didn’t talk much, but like before, there wasn’t anything awkward about the silence. It was comfortable, and Keith didn’t feel obligated to fill it. They simply held hands, with Keith ducking slightly behind Lance whenever the wind picked up to avoid the full force of it.

 

Though the days were hot, the nights cooled off quickly, and Keith hadn’t thought to bring a jacket with him for the walk.

 

“Are you cold?” Lance asked, after noticing him shiver after a particularly chilly breeze.

 

“No,” Keith quickly denied, but Lance was already shrugging off his coat, releasing Keith’s hand in order to slip his arm out of it, then proceeded to drape the article of clothing gently across his shoulders. “Lance,” Keith protested weakly, “I’m fine, really.”

 

But Lance simply shrugged, taking Keith’s hand in his own once again and smiling coyly.

 

“You’re not a very good liar. And besides,” Lance leaned back slightly, narrowing his eyes as he squinted down at Keith, as if appraising him...or admiring him. Keith figured it was the latter, since Lance’s cheeks flushed a dark red as he cleared his throat and turned his head to face forward once again. “It looks better on you anyways.”

 

Keith didn’t trust his voice enough to speak, so instead nuzzled closer into Lance’s side; the sleeves of the jacket much too long for his arms, but providing him with a much welcomed warmth against the night air. 

 

Plus it smelled like campfire smoke and donuts, as well as something else that Keith couldn’t quite name...maybe lemon? Or some sort of mint?

 

He wondered briefly if it was Lance’s cologne, or maybe just his natural musk.

Whatever the case, Keith really enjoyed it, and ducked his head down lower into the collar of the jacket to try and commit the scent to memory.

 

When they finally reached Lance’s car, an old subaru hatchback, Keith made to return the jacket, but Lance stopped him by placing his hands on Keith’s shoulders.

 

“No, keep it for now. You still have to walk all the way back.” 

 

“But won’t you need it?” Keith asked, not truly wanting to return Lance’s jacket at all, but still trying to make an effort to be polite. 

 

Lance shook his head. “My car heats up fast. And you can just give it back to me tomorrow...or whenever.”

 

Keith felt his cheeks heat, but nodded nonetheless. They stood for a moment without saying anything, but Keith wasn’t really sure how to say goodbye. Did he lean in for a kiss? Or just a hug? Or maybe just a quick wave and then he would bolt back to his tent to overthink everything about their date?

 

_ Oh god...why is it awkward  _ now _ of all times! _

 

“Listen,” Lance said, saving Keith from his thoughts. “I won’t be in until later tomorrow afternoon, since I have to help my mama out around the house, but maybe we can do this again?”

 

Keith bit back a grin, nodding enthusiastically and wrapping his arms around himself as another icy breeze picked up. It played with the tips of Lance’s hair, tousling it in a way that Keith was almost jealous of, and he found himself longing to run his own fingers through the messy brown locks, among other things.

 

He restrained himself though, since Lance was unlocking the door of his car and making to get in, and Keith didn’t want to be the one to overwhelm them both. 

 

The evening had been perfect enough without any more dramatic make-outs. Besides, there was, after all, always tomorrow to make up for lost opportunities. And he wouldn’t hesitate this time. He was beyond that now.

 

Lance rolled down his window after starting the engine, then waved a lazy hand in goodbye that Keith reciprocated as best he could with the long sleeves of Lance’s jacket hanging down past his the ends of his arms; the fabric flopping loosely as he moved his hand back and forth.

 

Lance bit his lower lip upon seeing the gesture, ears turning pink as he stared back at Keith for a moment, then a large lopsided grin broke out on his face, and he made finger guns at him and winked.

 

“You’ll know where to find me,” he said, and Keith rolled his eyes playfully, thinking of how he would be waiting by the food truck all day tomorrow for Lance to show up. He wouldn’t admit that though, and decided to play it cool instead.

 

“Will there be a coffee waiting when I get there?”

 

“Anything for you, rockstar,” Lance winked again, then put his car into gear and began driving away. Keith watched him go with a fond grin, feeling the warmth in his body consume him, until Lance’s lights were out of view. 

 

It wasn’t until he was halfway back to his tent that he realized he hadn’t actually asked Lance for his phone number, and a moment of panic coursed through him. He repressed it easily though, recalling that Lance would be at the festival tomorrow, and Keith knew where to look for him. 

 

He smiled to himself, pulling Lance’s jacket up closer to his ears, and let his mind drift happily as Lance’s smell filled his nose. 

 

Yeah, tomorrow he would ask for his number. Or maybe Lance would be coy and write it on his coffee cup. 

 

And then they could spend another night in each other's company, enjoying the music and the food, maybe even hang out with the others again. Keith knew his weekend at the festival was nearing an end, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be saddened. In fact, he was looking forward to his next adventure already, and couldn’t wait for September to roll around. 

 

And even though this had only been their first date, and Keith knew the others would be teasing him relentlessly tomorrow morning, he allowed himself to think to the future; planning other dates with Lance, as well as trips they could take together before the school semester started up.

 

Maybe that was jumping the gun a bit, but Keith had a good feeling about the boy behind the counter of the food truck; a feeling he knew wasn’t one sided. Lance was more than just some cute guy at a music festival. He was more than just a guy to date.

 

Lance felt like a lost friend...someone Keith had known for a while, but hadn’t met before. Like part of his soul had found a piece that he hadn’t realized was missing.

 

Or maybe that was too poetic, and Keith was simply suffering the afterglow of a wonderful night spent with an amazing person.

 

Whatever the reasoning behind it, Keith went to bed with a large grin on his face, crawling over the slumbering forms of Matt and Shiro as he tucked himself deep into his sleeping bag, imagining that it was Lance’s arms wrapped around him as he slept, and not just the arms of his jacket.

 

He let his eyes fall shut, knowing his dreams would be pleasant; the image of sea blue eyes imprinted on the back of his lids, sparkling and alive, like the night sky filled with stars, or the reflections of the waves of they crashed overhead.

 

And maybe it was true, that he who hesitates is lost, but as Keith felt his body grow heavy with fatigue, he pushed the saying from his mind, knowing that, for tonight at least, the words didn’t apply to him.

 

He made a vow to himself that they  _ wouldn’t _ apply ever again.

 

And with a final, drawn-out content sigh, Keith promptly fell asleep, excited for another day with Lance, with hopefully many more to follow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented on the first part of this fic, asking for a second part and showering me in compliments! It was honestly so nice of everyone and really motivated me to write their actual date.
> 
> After re-reading the first chapter, I realized that where I ended the story was a bit unfair, and of course there should be a second part! So here you go, hope you enjoyed, I made it as fluffy as I could without making it too long. (Seriously this is some of the cutest shit I've written, with all cuddles and kisses and cute first date things).
> 
> Also I headcanon Matt as bisexual, as well as a complete meme, but it would interesting to see if you guys like that portrayal or not. I want to write a fic (eventually) based on his and Shiro's prime years, basically outlining how Shiro became so mature and stoic, since the way I write him is sort of...less so. I like to think Shiro would be a mega meme alongside Matt before being thrust into a position of leadership, as in Voltron. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks again for the support, I love reading all the lovely comments, and hope their date was as you imagined it. There was no biting (as Keith had hinted at), since it's only their first night out, but who's to say what happens the second time around? (winks with both eyes)
> 
> I don't think I'll be continuing this (at least not for a while, if at all) so consider this the real ending from now on :)  
> Heart luv <3

**Author's Note:**

> This was fun to write and definitely became a lot longer than I was originally planning, but whateves.
> 
> Might continue it at a later date, (post date and what have you), but I'll give you this for now.
> 
> Bless the SU artists :)


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